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Ten feet above a firefight in Vietnam's Central Highlands, a door gunner put his boot in John Fisher's back and shoved him out of the helicopter. It was his first day as a radio telephone operator, and he had no idea what was waiting on the ground. A month earlier, John had won the U.S. Surfing Association Class A championship and come home to a draft notice. By May 1968 he was humping a 25-pound PRC-25 radio through the jungles around Pleiku, Kon Tum and Dak To with the 4th Infantry Division, calling in artillery with a map and a compass. In this episode he talks about the lieutenants he served beside, the mortar blast that took his hearing, the night his mother's nightmare pulled him off a firebase hours before his gun was destroyed, and coming home on July 3, 1969 to a country that didn't want to hear it .Then he tells us what came after: surfing his way through New Zealand and Australia, becoming a chiropractor, writing his way through PTSD, and going back to Vietnam more than a dozen times, where a former enemy soldier lifted his shirt to show his scars and told John, "Now we can be friends." This episode is dedicated to the lieutenants John Fisher served beside as a radio telephone operator in Vietnam's Central Highlands, to the battery captain and the gun crew lost on his firebase, to the radio operator killed the day before John arrived, and to every soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who served in the jungles around Pleiku, Kon Tum and Dak To. We also remember the more than 58,000 Americans who never came home from Vietnam, and the Vietnamese people on every side who lost their lives, their families and their homes in the war. Content advisory: This episode includes descriptions of combat, the deaths of fellow soldiers, wounded men in a field hospital, killing in war, moral injury, PTSD and substance use after coming home. If you're a veteran who is struggling, you are not alone. Call 988 then press 1, text 838255, or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net. 📚 Find John's books, including Dak To Rx: A Travelogue - A Veteran Returns to the Land of His Nightmares on his website: https://www.johnwesleyfisherbooks.com/Dak To Rx: A Travelogue on Amazon: ​​https://a.co/d/0eWsifpG ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:36 Surf Champion to Draft Notice 05:30 Fort Ord, Fort Sill and the 105 Howitzer 10:00 Shipped Out Early to Cam Ranh Bay 15:30 Pleiku, the M16 and the PRC-252 1:30 Sent Further Forward29:00 Life in the Jungle 33:30 Three Lieutenants 44:00 Coming Home to "Baby Killer" 47:00 The Mortar Blast and the Field Hospital 54:30 "My Mom Saved My Life" 1:01:30 R&R in Thailand With His Brother 1:09:00 Surfing Cam Ranh Bay and a Painful Return 1:16:30 The Last Months on the Hill 1:20:30 Home on July 3, 1969 1:36:30 Mexico, New Zealand, Australia and Chiropractic 1:44:30 PTSD and Writing Angels in Vietnam 1:50:00 Back to Vietnam: "Now We Can Be Friends" 2:04:00 Dak To Rx: Back to the Central Highlands 2:13:00 No Accidents, War and the Soul, and Maine🎖️ SUBSCRIBE for new veteran interviews every week. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlh Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id1854840136Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/ If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected] #AskAVet #VietnamVeteran #VietnamWar #4thInfantryDivision #CentralHighlands #DakTo #VeteranStories #PTSD

A lieutenant was yelling in his face about his jungle boots, and Alex Pelensky just laughed: what are you going to do, send me to Vietnam? He'd just gotten back. That was Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, 1970.Alex joined the Air Force in 1968 to stay ahead of the draft, trained in electronics at Chanute AFB and spent a year at Tuy Hoa Air Base on the coast of the South China Sea, keeping the autopilot systems on F-100 Super Sabres working. He arrived angry at being sent away from his wife and three-month-old daughter. By the end of his tour, he didn't want to leave.What he brought home nearly cost him everything: a career on Wall Street, a 17-year marriage, and seven years on the streets of New York. Then his mother died, and a line he'd heard in an AA meeting came back to him: you don't have to live like this anymore. Alex has been clean and sober since November 22, 1994. He raised his son, earned two master's degrees, and taught technology in New York City public schools for 20 years.This episode is dedicated to the airmen of Tuy Hoa Air Base and to every American who served in Vietnam, especially those who came home still fighting, and to anyone working their way back from addiction one day at a time.Content advisory: This episode includes discussion of drug and alcohol addiction, heroin use, homelessness and divorce. If you're a veteran in crisis, or worried about one, call 988 then press 1, text 838255, or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:30 Meet Alex: East Village, New York City 01:44 College, partying and a 1-A draft notice 03:05 Joining the Air Force: basic and tech school 07:17 Cannon AFB, marriage and orders for Vietnam 11:16 Arriving at Tuy Hoa Air Base 14:12 The Maytag repairman: working on F-100 autopilots 17:51 Off base, attacks and the smoke-a-thon 22:05 Da Nang and heroin 23:07 Expo '70 and wanting to stay 26:36 Coming home radicalized 34:16 The GI Bill, Wall Street and a hidden habit 39:47 Divorce and seven years homeless 44:53 "You don't have to live like this anymore" 48:02 Raising his son and 20 years teaching 52:17 Looking back on Vietnam🎖️ SUBSCRIBE for new veteran interviews every week.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlhListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id1854840136Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected]#VietnamVeteran #AirForce #VietnamWar #TuyHoa #VeteranStories #Recovery #AskAVet #F100

It was about 10:30 in the morning on July 29, 1967. Joe Duarte was underneath an F-4 Phantom on the flight deck of USS Forrestal, hooking up the air start for the second launch of the day, when the first explosion went off. A volunteer firefighter back home, he jumped into the catwalk and started handing out fire hoses. Then two more bombs exploded, and he knew he couldn't stay. Joe grew up in Holbrook, Long Island, and joined the Navy in 1965 with his Army draft notice already in hand. Trained as an AME (Aviation Structural Mechanic, Safety Equipment), he serviced ejection seats, liquid oxygen and pilot masks for the VF-74 Be-Devilers. In this episode he takes us from boot camp at Great Lakes to the crossing-the-line ceremony, life aboard a 5,500-man carrier, and five days on Yankee Station before the Navy's deadliest carrier fire since World War II. He tells us about the shrapnel that cut through his arm, the bone set without enough morphine, the chaplain who arrived at his family's door with a $10,000 check because the Navy thought he was dead, nine months of rehab at St. Albans, and the life he built afterward.This episode is dedicated to the 134 sailors and aviators who lost their lives aboard USS Forrestal on July 29, 1967, to the 161 who were injured, and to every crew member who fought that fire. Content advisory: This episode includes descriptions of fire, explosions, death and serious injury. Veterans Crisis Line: call 988 then press 1, text 838255, or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:30 Growing up in Holbrook, Long Island 02:28 Drafted, so he joined the Navy 04:22 Boot camp and becoming an AME 07:36 The VF-74 Be-Devilers and the F-4 Phantom 09:50 Life aboard USS Forrestal 15:27 The voyage to Vietnam 24:09 Yankee Station, Gulf of Tonkin 28:10 July 29, 1967: the Forrestal fire 31:29 Sick bay and surgery 39:30 The long road home 43:39 The chaplain at the door 44:55 Nine months at St. Albans 50:19 The shipmates who didn't come home 53:42 Life after the Navy, and looking back 🎖️ SUBSCRIBE for new veteran interviews every week. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlh Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id1854840136 Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/ If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected] #USSForrestal #VietnamVeteran #NavyVeteran #AircraftCarrier #F4Phantom #VeteranStories #AskAVet #MilitaryHistory

Seven grenades with the pins pulled. A Marine he'd never met shaking beside him in the hole. Forty minutes of fire, a lull, then forty more. Then the word came down the line: "Fix bayonets." Amadeo Robert "Stef" Stefanelli grew up in South Brooklyn in a family of Marines. He enlisted at 17, started boot camp at Parris Island in April 1966, and survived a plane that nearly went down over the Pacific before he ever reached Vietnam. In 1967 he served as a machine gunner with the Marines, moving north from Dai Loc to Phu Bai, Dong Ha, C-2 and Con Thien, within sight of the DMZ. He lost friends, carried mortars and an M14 when the new M16s jammed, and earned a spot promotion to corporal in under a year. Now 78, Stef talks honestly about the friend who told him "I'm so lucky" the day before he was killed, coming home to protesters at Port Authority, years of nightmares, and the seven years of PTSD group at the VA that helped him come through the other side. This episode is dedicated to the Marines Stef served beside who never came home, including PJ Smith, Sgt. Solomon, James Trusha and Herbie Rogers, and to every Marine and Corpsman who fought along the DMZ in 1967. Content advisory: This episode includes descriptions of combat, the deaths of friends, wounded prisoners, the destruction of a village, racial violence, physical abuse in boot camp, a mention of suicide, PTSD and alcohol use. Veterans Crisis Line, 24/7: call 988 then press 1, text 838255, or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 01:27 A Family of Marines and Parris Island 05:40 Infantry Training and the Plane That Almost Went Down 09:43 Stories from Vietnam: Hastings, Prairie and Starlite 12:39 Dai Loc, Mortars and China Beach16:19 Learning from the Veterans and Losing His Gun Team 19:55 Seven Grenades and “Fix Bayonets!” 23:32 Heading to Phu Bai and Ambushed on the Way to Dong Ha 26:22 Mortars, Rockets and Con Thien Near the DMZ 30:07 Ambushes, Losing Friends and a Spot Promotion 35:12 Life in the Field, a B-52 Strike and a Captured NVA Soldier 42:11 Leadership, Coming Home and the Aftermath of War 47:05 Nightmares, R&R and Facing His Fears 50:11 Coming Home to Protests and Racial Violence 52:29 Life After Vietnam, Family and the Marine Corps 57:23 When the M16 Jammed and the Weapons He Carried 1:01:34 Looking Back at 78, Remembering Fallen Marines and Finding Healing 🎖️ SUBSCRIBE for new veteran interviews every week. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlh Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id1854840136 Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/ If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected] #AskAVet #VietnamVeteran #USMC #Marines #ConThien #VietnamWar #VeteranStories #PTSDAwareness

Thanksgiving Day, 1967. Lieutenant Douglas Greenlaw's platoon was supposed to land, pop green smoke, and mark a safe zone for the rest of the company. Instead, the helicopters set them down a thousand yards too far, at the edge of a North Vietnamese battalion. Forty-five Americans against roughly four hundred. They fought for five hours.Doug grew up in a steel-mill family on Lake Michigan, survived being thrown from a car at four and struck by lightning at thirteen, flunked his way off a college baseball team, and was drafted. The Army turned him into an infantry officer. In Vietnam with the 196th Infantry, he led a platoon and then, at 23, a company of 158 men on search and destroy missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He was wounded twice, earned the Silver Star and the Purple Heart, and survived a booby trap so devastating that he says he died on the table.Then he came home and went to work: straight A's at Indiana University on the GI Bill, radio ad sales in Indianapolis, building The Family Channel, taking MTV to Madison Avenue, and running a 100-year-old media company. At 82, he says he's the luckiest man you'll ever meet, and he's not done yet.📖 Read Doug's book, Forged by Lightning: From Boyhood to the Battlefield to the Boardroom: https://www.amazon.com/Douglas-Greenlaw/e/B0D6ZC5KPK⚠️ CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode contains graphic descriptions of close combat, killing, severe battlefield wounds, the death of a child, and the lasting effects of war. Viewer discretion is advised.If you're a veteran in crisis, or worried about one, help is available 24/7. Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:40 Growing Up in a Steel Mill Town02:10 Thrown From a Car at 65 MPH03:55 Struck by Lightning at 1305:38 Indiana University and Back to the Mills06:30 Drafted06:51 Basic Training at Fort Knox07:24 Selected for OCS08:06 On Detail With Sergeant Street14:53 Officer Candidate School16:44 Training Officer Candidates19:14 Jungle School in Panama20:42 Shipping Out to Vietnam21:18 First Command: Firing the Platoon Sergeant25:25 Search and Destroy29:48 90 Days in the Field33:31 Booby Traps, Snipers and Walking Point34:53 Firefights Nearly Every Day38:24 The Weapons He Carried39:18 Night Patrols Under a Full Moon40:39 "Call Me Law": Leading Like a Brother42:43 Thanksgiving 1967: 45 Against 40046:03 Surviving the Ambush46:50 Face to Face With a North Vietnamese Lieutenant49:11 Into the Tunnel53:44 The Purple Heart and the Silver Star54:50 Losing Fear and Faith55:45 R&R in Bangkok58:46 Company Commander at 2359:44 The Men He Led1:00:40 Arnold Bittner, the Medic Who Wouldn't Get Down1:04:06 1968 and the Tet Offensive1:06:10 Patrolling the Ho Chi Minh Trail1:07:43 Face-First in a Rice Paddy1:09:39 The Booby Trap1:12:27 "Dying Is Not That Bad"1:13:51 Recovery in Da Nang and the Bob Hope Show1:16:33 Yokohama and the Red Cross1:19:05 Rehab at Fort Sheridan1:19:54 Coming Home Without Fear1:23:20 Selling Radio Ads in Indianapolis1:27:58 Building The Family Channel1:31:31 Taking MTV to Madison Avenue1:33:30 CEO of Multimedia1:36:23 Marriage, Family and an Only Child1:37:02 The Nightmares and How They Stopped1:40:26 What Vietnam Taught Him1:42:41 The Wounds He Still Carries1:43:45 82 and Not Done Yet1:44:11 The Greenville Journal🎖️ SUBSCRIBE for new veteran interviews every week.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlhListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id1854840136Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected]#AskAVet #VietnamVeteran #VietnamWar #ArmyVeteran #InfantryOfficer #SilverStar #VeteranStories #MilitaryHistory

On October 23, 1983, at 6:22 in the morning, a truck bomb destroyed the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Marine Scout Sniper Frank Roberts was 400 yards away, sleeping in the dirt near Charlie Company. The blast threw him into a wall. When he came to, the four-story building was gone.Frank was 20 years old. He had come up through amphibious recon school and Scout Sniper School, where he learned from the legendary Carlos Hathcock, and was sent to Beirut with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines on what was called a peacekeeping mission. In this episode of Ask A Vet, he tells us what it really was: restrictive rules of engagement, constant shelling, sniper duels, and, after the bombing, more than a week cut off with no resupply and their chain of command gone.Frank also shares what came after: training the next generation of snipers, undercover narcotics work in New Haven, a contract on his life during the largest RICO case in Connecticut history, and the oyster farm in South Carolina where he found his way home.IN MEMORY: This episode is dedicated to the 241 American service members, 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and 3 soldiers, killed in Beirut on October 23, 1983, to the 58 French paratroopers lost the same morning, and to every Marine and sailor who served there.CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode contains graphic descriptions of combat, the aftermath of the bombing, severe injuries, PTSD, and strong language. Veterans in crisis: call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:36 The man with two birth certificates01:01 Growing up in a Marine family02:20 The first enlisted man in the family04:31 Parris Island05:36 Eight months at sea on the USS Nassau07:47 Selected for Scout Sniper08:18 Amphibious Recon School, Little Creek10:28 Scout Sniper School and Carlos Hathcock12:04 The M40A1 and two-man teams14:27 Learning to stalk16:11 Orders to Beirut18:36 Patrolling the rubble19:44 Rules of engagement: one round at a time22:18 First sniper mission25:49 Humping through Beirut27:32 Ambushed in a ditch31:17 The man with the white handkerchief35:47 Letters home36:52 Warning signs and the tank that was moved37:58 The morning of the bombing41:03 "It was gone"42:43 241 lost44:17 Cut off: no ammo, no food, no water46:15 Help turned away47:47 The plane he refused to board50:24 33 days of shelling51:03 A prayer under fire53:20 Abandoned: "What's to become of us?"55:35 Twelve men step forward57:55 Coming home1:00:05 Rebuilding as a sniper instructor1:01:14 Delta Force and a CIA offer1:02:16 New Haven Police: undercover narcotics1:05:39 The raid on West Street1:08:18 No fear left1:09:01 The Latin Kings and the FBI1:11:07 A contract on his life1:13:35 On the witness stand1:17:43 The truth about the bomb1:19:10 Becoming an oyster farmer1:24:03 The bond with his brothers1:27:25 Nightmares, healing, and the VA1:30:10 Closing🎖️ SUBSCRIBE for new veteran interviews every week.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlhListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id1854840136Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected]#AskAVet #Beirut1983 #MarineCorps #ScoutSniper #BeirutBarracks #VeteranStories #USMC #militaryhistory

This episode is a little different. Amy Rodman Little isn't a veteran, but the daughter of one who never came home. Army Captain David "Dave" Rodman was an artillery officer, former Big 33 football star, and devoted husband and father. He was killed in Vietnam on May 8, 1968, while helping pull wounded soldiers onto a rescue helicopter. Amy was four years old. For most of her life, Dave was a name on a plaque, a theater in Germany, and a box of sympathy cards. Then, at 30, Amy found a box in her mother's garage. Inside were 45 handwritten letters her father sent home from Vietnam. What followed was a decades-long journey to know the man behind the name: reunions with his Army brothers, a first visit to The Wall, an Honor Flight, a Purple Heart handed to her by a stranger, and finally a book, Love, Dave: Letters to Home – A Daughter's Journey to Know the Father She Lost in Vietnam. 📖 Get Amy's book, Love, Dave: Letters to Home Paperback: https://lovedavebook.org/products/love-davee Book (Amazon): https://a.co/d/05ORteQG Chapters: 02:55 Who was Dave Rodman? 04:58 From law school to Army OCS 06:42 Volunteering for Vietnam 07:39 Arriving just before Tet 08:12 Growing up without him11:13 The day the Army came to the door16:28 Finding the lost letters21:53 What the letters revealed about him23:44 Mom, remarriage and a new family27:02 Meeting his Army brothers at Fort Sill28:20 Howitzers and the Bird Dog 31:33 Seeing him move in home movies 35:30 Writing the book43:08 Cameras, knives and the PX 46:28 The Tet ceasefire and the rules of war 49:28 Rats, bunkers and stolen brownies 52:28 Artillery liaison officer 54:00 May 8, 1968 55:56 The chaplain who inspired him 58:01 The R&R that never came 1:01:07 Her mother and the book 1:01:21 The Big 33 honors Dave 1:03:18 "Do you feel closure?" 1:04:12 The people she met along the way 1:07:29 A Purple Heart from a stranger 1:09:09 "Love, Dave" 1:11:27 The Silver Star and the Rodman Theater 1:15:09 The Honor Flight 1:21:40 Looking back on the journey 🎙️ Subscribe to Ask A Vet for more stories from those who served and the families who stood behind them. Find Your Local Honor Flight Hub: https://www.honorflight.org/ #AskAVet #VietnamVeteran #GoldStarFamily #VietnamWar #MilitaryHistory #Veterans #HonorFlight #WelcomeHome #LoveDave

When Saigon fell in 1975, retired Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Scotty Acton was stationed on Guam — and watched over 50,000 Vietnamese refugees pour onto an island 8 miles wide. In this episode, Scotty takes us through 22 years in Air Force logistics: keeping fighter jets flying with "mission capable" parts, riding out a Category 5 typhoon with no water for 13 days, midnight runs across German air bases to save weather reports, the Ramstein air show disaster, and racing the clock for parts during Desert Storm. After retiring in 1991, Scotty spent 19 years as a logistics expert for Lockheed Martin supporting the F-16 program. Today he's known as "Pastor Scotty," leading a ~35-person Sunday church gathering at Summit Vista, home to 118 of his fellow veterans. This is a story about the guys who never fly the planes — but without whom nothing flies at all. CHAPTERS: 01:01 – Growing Up in Illinois & Beating the Draft 04:17 – His Father's Service & Growing Up the Eldest of Eight 07:46 – Basic Training in a Divided Country (1969) 09:22 – First Duty Station: Germany & Learning Military Supply 14:32 – Getting Married & Building a Military Family 15:52 – Life on a Cold War Air Base 20:07 – Vietnam's Ripple Effects & Manual-Era Supply Work 25:02 – The Midnight Paper Run on a "Spook Bird" 27:04 – Tragedy on Base: Crashes and the Ramstein Air Show Disaster 31:02 – Warner Robbins & Earning the Name "Loggy Central" 34:53 – Stationed on Guam (1974–1976) 38:03 – The Fall of Vietnam & the Refugee Crisis on Guam 43:50 – Riding Out Typhoon Pamela 47:04 – Ellsworth AFB & the B-52 Bombers 50:34 – Desert Storm: Racing the Clock for Parts 56:51 – The Hardest Aircraft to Keep Flying 58:14 – The Pacer Plank Fuel Cell Scare 1:00:36 – Why He Turned 4 Years Into a 22-Year Career 1:01:57 – Retiring from the Air Force & Joining Lockheed Martin 1:03:38 – The F-16, the A-10, and "Just-in-Time" Logistics 1:08:09 – What Modern Warfare Could Relearn from Desert Storm 1:11:06 – The A-10 Warthog & the Fight to Save It 1:12:12 – Retiring from Lockheed & Becoming "Pastor Scotty" 1:13:57 – His Honor Flight Experience 1:16:13 – Looking Back on 22 Years of Service 1:18:22 – Closing Thoughts & Remembering the Deployed 🎖️ SUBSCRIBE for new veteran interviews every week. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlh Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id185484https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Girls-Greed-Blackwater-Mercenary/dp/B0C7P83DL6/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mkEEmt-2FfH-9tCi7QeOEPCZa-IpA_7bFHYQGqsrC8TGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.mq8h2uvyyrYUNuA75Kke3F64R8r2RhdO2CALCiNnymk&qid=1788289472&sr=8-1 Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/ If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected] #AskAVetPodcast #VeteranStories #AirForce #ColdWar #DesertStorm #F16 #MilitaryLogistics #FallOfSaigon #VeteranPodcast #ThankAVet

Larry grew up in and out of foster homes across the West and landed in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury during the Summer of Love — homeless, drifting, and certain he was headed nowhere good. He enlisted in the Army looking for structure. He got Vietnam instead. Assigned as a radio operator (RTO) with the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, S2 Intelligence, Larry humped a 20-pound PRC-25 through the jungle near the DMZ, took part in the relief of the siege of Khe Sanh, moved into the A Shau Valley, and later shifted south to Tay Ninh near Black Virgin Mountain. He survived combat, multiple bouts of malaria (including the nearly fatal falciparum strain), and losing close friends in the field — then came home in 1969 to an Army that had no name yet for what he was going through, and no plan beyond antipsychotic medication. This is a conversation about all of it: the war, the radio, the friends he lost, coming home to a country in upheaval, addiction, 31 years of service as a VA employee, activism with Vietnam Veterans Against the War, recovery work that took him as far as Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the long, ongoing work of healing.Content note: This episode includes a firsthand account of an interrogation Larry witnessed in Vietnam. Listener discretion advised. ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 00:36 — Growing up in Salt Lake City, foster homes 01:06 — Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, 1966–67 05:22 — Enlisting in the Army 06:22 — Boot camp, Fort Lewis 07:48 — AIT at Fort Ord, orders to Vietnam 09:50 — Arrival in-country, Camp Radcliffe 13:19 — Joining the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry 14:45 — Becoming an RTO, first days in the field 17:08 — The interrogation 19:47 — Search-and-destroy patrols, snakes, helicopter insertions 21:49 — Relief of Khe Sanh and the A Shau Valley 22:19 — Moving south to Tay Ninh, Black Virgin Mountain 23:18 — First bout with malaria 26:36 — Radio relay duty, isolation on the mountain 33:54 — Losing a friend — the Claymore mine 37:01 — Coming home, May 1969 39:47 — PTSD before it had a name 42:07 — An interracial marriage in the Deep South 43:29 — Transfer to Germany 47:56 — Discharge and the search for work 50:31 — Hired at the VA — the start of 31 years 54:34 — Protest and activism in Salt Lake City 59:02 — Addiction and getting clean 01:02:05 — The birth of his daughter and a turning point 01:05:00 — Recovery work in Russia 01:09:55 — Family, aging, and loss 01:13:51 — Final reflections on Vietnam, enemies, and peace 🎖️ SUBSCRIBE for new veteran interviews every week. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlh Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id1854840136 Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/ If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected]

Morgan Lerette joined the Air National Guard in 1999 for one reason: his grandfather told him the Air Force had the best food. Two years later, September 11th changed everything. Morgan deployed to Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq during the ground offensive — then walked away from active duty and into one of the most controversial jobs in modern warfare: private military contractor for Blackwater.In this episode, Morgan takes us inside the world most people only know from headlines — protecting U.S. diplomats and senators in Baghdad's Red Zone, the total absence of rules of engagement, meeting Erik Prince and Iraq's sitting president, and the moment that got him fired from Blackwater. He also opens up about the slow build of PTSD, why he eventually rejoined the military as an Army Intelligence officer, writing a book Blackwater's leadership wasn't thrilled about, and what he's learned about finding purpose after the uniform comes off.This is a raw, funny, and at times heavy conversation about war, money, loyalty, and what it actually costs to come home.Timestamps:1:40 – Meet Morgan Lerette: Joining the Air Force for the Food 3:59 – Basic Training at Lackland AFB 7:00 – Security Forces Training & Community College 9:01 – Where He Was on September 11th 12:00 – Activated: First Deployments to Oman & Jordan 17:07 – Scud Missiles, Kuwait & the Ground Offensive Into Iraq 22:59 – Coming Home & Hearing About Blackwater 24:39 – The $500-a-Day Call That Changed His Life 31:32 – Selection & Training in Moyock, NC 47:34 – First Missions Protecting Diplomats in Baghdad 55:55 – Rocket Attacks & the Market Bombing 59:05 – A Divided Iraq & Becoming Jaded 1:06:30 – Meeting Diplomats: John Bolton, Colin Powell & Charlie Daniels 1:12:26 – The Truth About Erik Prince 1:18:30 – No Rules of Engagement: Driving Through Baghdad 1:24:39 – Meeting the President of Iraq & Seeing Babylon 1:28:17 – The Scariest Moments Overseas 1:40:28 – Getting Fired From Blackwater 1:44:51 – Coming Home & His Dog Shelby 1:49:02 – Back to Iraq as an Army Intelligence Officer 1:54:06 – What Does "Winning" Even Look Like? 1:57:15 – Coming to Terms With PTSD 2:00:12 – Writing the Book 2:03:24 – Why Blackwater Wasn't Happy About It 2:07:02 – Private Military Contractors Today 2:08:31 – Life Now: Family & Finding Purpose After WarConnect with Morgan: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackwaterdude1?igsi=MXVvaXAyeno0MXd6dg%3D%3D&utm_source=qrTikTok: @BlackwaterDude1 Morgan’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Girls-Greed-Blackwater-Mercenary/dp/B0C7P83DL6/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mkEEmt-2FfH-9tCi7QeOEPCZa-IpA_7bFHYQGqsrC8TGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.mq8h2uvyyrYUNuA75Kke3F64R8r2RhdO2CALCiNnymk&qid=1788289472&sr=8-1ASK A VET Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlhListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id185484https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Girls-Greed-Blackwater-Mercenary/dp/B0C7P83DL6/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mkEEmt-2FfH-9tCi7QeOEPCZa-IpA_7bFHYQGqsrC8TGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.mq8h2uvyyrYUNuA75Kke3F64R8r2RhdO2CALCiNnymk&qid=1788289472&sr=8-1Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected]#AskAVetPodcast #Veteran #Blackwater #PrivateMilitaryContractor #Iraq #AirForce #Army #PTSD #VeteranStories #MilitaryPodcast

He served on Cold War fast-attack submarines, surfaced through Arctic ice, and spent up to 85 days underwater breathing recycled air — all without his family knowing if he was alive. Retired Navy Commander Henry Rausch joins the show to talk about his time as a submarine officer, the true story behind his bestselling memoir Submerged, and why the submarine force may be America's most important — and most overlooked — line of defense. Henry was the son of a Navy Master Chief, turned down a path to medical school at Stanford, and instead went straight into the Navy's nuclear submarine program during the Reagan-era buildup. Two tours on 637-class fast-attack submarines later, he'd surfaced through polar ice, tracked Soviet boats in the North Atlantic, missed the birth of his son, and lived through a near-collision in the Strait of Gibraltar that still shows up in his dreams. 📖 Get Henry's book, Submerged: https://henryrausch.com/my-books/submerged-life-on-a-fast-attack-submarine-in-the-last-days-of-the-cold-war/ Henry Rausch served on classified submarine missions during the Cold War. Before publishing his memoir, Submerged, he submitted the book to the Department of Defense for a pre-publication security review, where it was vetted and approved with certain information redacted. The information Henry shares in this episode has been cleared for publication. 👍 If you enjoyed this one, subscribe and leave a review — it helps more veterans' stories reach people who need to hear them. Chapters: 00:00 – Meet Henry Rausch 05:00 – Why He Joined the Navy 10:00 – Becoming a Nuclear Submarine Officer 15:00 – Training to Serve on a Submarine 20:00 – Inside a Nuclear Submarine 25:00 – How Submarines Stay Hidden 30:00 – The Secrets of Submarine Warfare 35:00 – Life Before Going to Sea 40:00 – Learning to Hunt Soviet Submarines 45:00 – Reporting for Duty 50:00 – The Mission to the North Pole 55:00 – Life on a Cold War Submarine 1:00:00 – The Pressure to Qualify 1:05:00 – What Can Go Wrong Underwater 1:10:00 – Becoming a Submariner 1:15:00 – A Day in the Life Underwater 1:20:00 – Food, Movies & Life at Sea 1:25:00 – 85 Days Underwater 1:30:00 – Communicating With Home 1:35:00 – Being Hunted by the Enemy 1:40:00 – Weapons of the Cold War 1:45:00 – Under the Arctic Ice 1:50:00 – “It’s Kind of Game Over” 1:55:00 – Surfacing at the North Pole 2:00:00 – The Cost of Being Away From Home 2:05:00 – Why Submariners Don't Talk 2:10:00 – Lessons From a Life Underwater 2:11:44 – Final Thoughts Subscribe for more interviews with the men and women who served.If you or a Veteran you know has a story that should be heard, we'd love to hear from you at [email protected].

Herman "Butch" Peace enlisted in the Army at 19 and became a Huey pilot in Vietnam — flying troop insertions, taking fire, and watching men he served with die, all before he could legally rent a car back home. At 77, he finally put that year into words in his memoir, One Year: Or the Rest of Your Life. In this episode, Butch walks us through flight school, his first solo flight, arriving in-country, the crew that became his second family, a midair collision that changed everything, and the long, slow process of coming home. He also opens up about the year he spent training pilots in Iran during the fall of the Shah, and how he eventually became a classically trained portrait painter after studying in France. This is a raw, funny, and deeply human conversation about war, brotherhood, and what it means to carry that year for the rest of your life. 📖 Get Butch's book, One Year: Or the Rest of Your Life: https://www.amazon.com/ONE-YEAR-Vietnam-Helicopter-Pilots-ebook/dp/B0FXPD6Z7K?ref_=ast_author_mpb  🎨 See Butch's artwork: https://hlpeace.com/ TIMESTAMPS  01:06 – Family history: his father, a WWII ball turret gunner shot down after D-Day  04:43 – Boot camp at Fort Polk  06:56 – Flight school shenanigans  07:40 – First helicopter: the Hiller OH-23  07:56 – His first solo flight  11:19 – Flight school culture vs. basic training  16:56 – Shipping out  18:27 – Arriving in Vietnam  22:14 – Meet the "Robin Hoods"  23:55 – Life at the base, rockets, and "Rocket City"  27:43 – First assignment: flying the smoke ship  33:09 – Crew roles: aircraft commander, Peter pilot, crew chief, door gunner  34:57 – What made the Huey special  36:43 – Accidents in-country  54:20 – The midair collision, in his own words  1:03:36 – A sling-load accident and its aftermath  1:13:00 – Base camp life, C-rations, and R&R stories  1:40:11 – Comparing the UH-1D and UH-1H  1:45:26 – The flight surgeon and a sergeant's act of humanity  1:49:38 – Coming home on the "Freedom Bird"  1:53:16 – Adjusting to life after Vietnam  1:59:08 – Teaching pilots in Iran during the fall of the Shah  2:06:49 – Looking back on the war Ask a Vet brings you unfiltered conversations with veterans about their service, their struggles, and their lives after the uniform. If you or a Veteran you know has a story that should be heard, we'd love to hear from you at [email protected].  #Vietnam #Huey #HelicopterPilot #VeteranStory #MilitaryHistory #AskAVet

Roderick "Roger" Pugh grew up hunting and fishing in rural Alabama — and ended up living through 9/11 in basic training, the initial invasion of Iraq, an IED explosion that nearly killed him, and a front-row seat to the execution of Saddam Hussein. Along the way, he became — by his own research — the first African American sniper in the Iraq campaign and U.S. Army history. In this episode, Roger opens up about the invasion of Baghdad, clearing the Baghdad Zoo, sniper school, his years fighting PTSD, and the brothers he's lost along the way. He's also the author of the memoir 2 Lives, based on true events from his life and career. 📖 Roger's memoir, 2 Lives: Memoir of the 1st African American Sniper in the Iraq Campaign & US Army History (Based on true events), is available now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lives-African-American-Campaign-History/dp/B0FM4BF8YZ 🌐 Follow more of Roger's story at The Bama Mist: https://thebamamist.com/ ⚠️ This episode contains descriptions of combat, injury, and discussion of PTSD and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7 — dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255. Chapters:  2:52 – Basic training at Fort Benning the day 9/11 happened  8:43 – Shipped to Germany, stationed where Elvis Presley once served  10:59 – The night a bar fight turned into an international brawl  18:47 – The call to deploy: crossing the berm into Iraq  25:37 – Tarantulas, sidewinders, and a camel he'll never forget  29:58 – The Karbala Gap and his first brush with a sniper team  37:37 – Taking Baghdad International Airport & sleeping on a pallet of cash  40:45 – The mission to clear the Baghdad Zoo  56:22 – Selected for sniper school  1:08:33 – Deployed again — this time as a sniper team leader  1:14:41 – The IED explosion that nearly ended his life  1:15:41 – Losing a soldier & witnessing Saddam Hussein's execution  1:26:05 – South Korea, and meeting President Obama on duty  1:34:35 – The weight of PTSD, therapy, and a hard conversation about suicide 1:38:44 – His claim to history: the Army's first Black sniper  1:43:09 – Remembering a fallen brother, Chris Cowell  1:45:08 – Final thoughts & his memoir, 2 Lives If you or a Veteran you know has a story that should be heard, we'd love to hear from you at [email protected].  👉 If you’re a Veteran struggling with VA benefits, click this link to schedule a free consultation: https://ameconsultation.com/ref/AVPP1211J20A26YXO Disclosure: This is a referral partnership with American Medical Experts. We may receive compensation if you book through our link. 🎖️ Curious Humanography is proud to partner with Utah Honor Flight, helping veterans visit memorials built in their honor. To learn more or support their mission, visit UtahHonorFlight.org and honorflight.org. If this story moved you, please consider liking, commenting, and subscribing — it helps us continue sharing stories that deserve to be heard. #AskAVetPodcast #VeteranStories #Army #IraqWar #Sniper #PTSDAwareness #MilitaryHistory

From civil engineer to Cold War nuclear weapons officer to Vietnam advisor — Bob Echols' journey through the Army is anything but a straight line. In this episode of Ask A Vet, Bob shares what it was like growing up as the son of a WWII transport pilot who rarely spoke about the war, getting turned away from West Point over his eyesight, standing guard over atomic demolition munitions in Cold War Germany, mapping every bridge on the Rhine for a demolition plan that (thankfully) was never used, advising the Vietnamese Chief of Engineers during the final years of the war, and the hardest decision of his career — resigning his Regular Army commission to go back to the woods with the U.S. Forest Service. Bob also opens up about the leadership philosophy that carried him through both careers: respect and trust, no matter someone's rank, and a family legacy that carried into the Navy, the National Guard, and the Navy SEALs. Thank you, Bob, for your service — and for so generously sharing your story with us. ⏱️ Episode Chapters:  2:16 – Growing up an Army brat with a WWII pilot for a father  3:58 – Turned away from West Point  7:38 – Commissioned into the Army — and into his other dream, the Forest Service  9:38 – Boot camp and Ranger School at Fort Benning  12:54 – The leadership lesson that shaped his whole career: respect and trust  14:41 – Assigned to a Cold War atomic demolition unit in Germany  29:05 – Training alongside the German Army at the height of the Cold War  34:50 – Mapping every bridge on the Rhine for a nuclear demolition plan  39:30 – Orders for Vietnam and language school at Fort Bragg  42:18 – Landing in-country and settling into MACV headquarters  44:02 – Advising the Vietnamese Chief of Engineers  52:09 – The hardest decision: resigning his Army commission  55:04 – Back to the Forest Service, then back into the National Guard  1:00:04 – A father's pride: sons in the Navy, the Guard, and the SEALs  1:03:02 – Building training grounds and giving back through the Guard  1:08:44 – Final reflections on leadership, respect, and a life well served 🎙️ Ask A Vet is a podcast dedicated to preserving and honoring the stories of America's veterans. New episodes weekly. 👍 If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and leave a comment — it helps us bring more veterans' stories to a wider audience. #AskAVet #VeteranStories #ColdWar #VietnamWar #USArmy #MilitaryHistory #VeteranPodcast

For three years, Michael Reeder treated the wounded of the Vietnam War without ever setting foot in Vietnam. Drafted in 1966 and trained as a combat medic, Michael expected to deploy in-country. Instead, because his younger brother was already serving in Vietnam, the Army sent him to the 106th General Hospital at Kishine Barracks in Japan — one of the primary evacuation hospitals for the most severely wounded American troops. Over the next three years, he estimates more than 45,000 patients passed through that hospital alone. In this episode, Michael takes us inside the burn ward and the orthopedic ward: the amputees, the burn victims, the booby-trap electrocutions, the quiet humor patients used to survive, and the letters he read aloud to men who couldn't hold a pen. He talks about what it meant to be "Doc" to thousands of young men whose names he never learned — and what it cost him to carry that for over five decades before finally being diagnosed with PTSD, despite never having been in combat himself. This is a story about a part of the Vietnam War rarely discussed: the evacuation hospitals of Japan, and the corpsmen who held the line between the battlefield and the world these soldiers were trying to get back to. Michael Reeder served as a U.S. Army combat medic at the 106th General Hospital, Kishine Barracks, Japan, from 1967–1970. 01:43 — Drafted, and enlisting to try to control his fate  03:10 — Basic training at Fort Bliss  08:31 — Combat medic training in San Antonio  13:35 — His first exposure to racism  18:12 — Orders to Japan instead of Vietnam — and why  19:44 — Arriving at Kishine Barracks, the 106th General Hospital  21:18 — Inside the wards: burns, orthopedics, and the septic ward  24:27 — The dust-off helicopters and the six-hour flight from Vietnam  27:04 — The scale: over 45,000 patients in three years  28:27 — How triage decided who stayed in Vietnam and who came to Japan  32:05 — First days on the Burn Ward  34:32 — Accidental burns and Viet Cong booby-trap electrocutions  37:40 — Transferred to Orthopedics — "I've waited 56 years for this"  41:51 — Who ran the ward: doctors, nurses, corpsmen  43:22 — Draftees vs. enlisted men, and who got the hardest cases  50:17 — The letter: "I can't stay married to a man without arms"  55:02 — Dark humor on the ward — the auctioneer and the urinal  56:04 — The patient he couldn't save: his hardest memory  1:00:31 — Why rank meant nothing once you were a patient  1:04:04 — The Purple Heart policy that showed "no empathy"  1:09:22 — Isolation, marriage, and fatherhood in the middle of it all  1:12:37 — Extending his tour: three deployments back to back  1:14:26 — Coming home to protestors — and silence from his own family  1:20:16 — Small mercies: wheeling patients outside, carrying men to the shower  1:25:37 — Four visits to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall  1:32:52 — Losing a friend, and the moment the war became personal  1:44:00 — The years after: anger, a marriage that couldn't survive it  1:51:11 — Diagnosed with PTSD — as a man who was never in combat  1:57:09 — Healing through art: 25 years of mosaic work, turning 80 and returning to Japan  2:05:38 — Michael’s message to younger veterans ⚠️ Content note: This episode includes candid discussion of war trauma, injury, and suicidal ideation as part of Michael's healing journey. If you or someone you know is struggling, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7 — dial 988, then press 1, or text 838255. 💬 Know a veteran with a story to tell? Reach out to [email protected]