Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

On December 8th, 1941, Japanese forces attacked Wake Island. The Americans were outmanned and out gunned, but fought hard for 15 days before surrendering. Sgt. Pearsall and his fellow Marines were taken as prisoners of war, and spent 3 ½ years at a prison camp in China during WWII.  Sergeant John Edward ‘Swede' Pearsall served in the Marines as a part of the 1st Defense Battalion, D Battery on Wake Island in 1941.  Wake Island is located 2,458 miles west of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. knew a Japanese attack was coming, so men were stationed on the island to protect it.  On December 8th, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked Wake Island. The Battle of Wake Island lasted for a little over two weeks until American forces surrendered in order to protect civilian lives.  After the surrender, Sgt. Pearsall and his fellow Marines were almost executed before the Japanese decided to take them as prisoners. They would eventually be taken on a prison ship to Yokohama Harbor, and then transported to Wusong China, where they would spend three and a half years in a prison camp.  At the camp, conditions were brutal. They had little water to drink or bathe with, were beaten often, were not adequately fed, and were forced to do physical labor. During the interview, Pearsall had this to say about the camps: “Starvation, I found, was the toughest thing. The beatings you took. Almost daily, you took beatings from the Japanese, but you kind of became punch-drunk, so to speak. You expected them and you lived with them. But starvation you don't live with. When you're hungry, you're hungry 24 hours a day. You go to sleep hungry. You wake up during the night hungry, and you're hungry all day. Starvation is one of the toughest things we found to face. The work and labor that they made us do was tough, but the food was totally inadequate for the work and to sustain life. Myself, I went from a 200 pound Marine. When the war ended, I weighed somewhere around 85 pounds, so that when the war finally came to end, there wasn't much left of us. We couldn't have sustained life, under the food we were getting, much longer.” Finally on Easter Sunday, 1945, American forces arrived and liberated the camp, saving Sgt. Pearsall and his fellow prisoners. Upon arriving home, Pearsall was awarded the Purple Heart. To learn more about J. Edward Pearsall and the Battle of Wake Island, check out ⁠Son of Wake Island⁠. It's written by J. Edward Pearsall's son, David Pearsall, with the help of his father and the other surviving defenders of Wake island. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warning: This episode contains depictions of corpses, substance abuse, a suicide attempt, and some foul language. Viewer discretion is advised. Kris Goldsmith is an Army combat Veteran who served in Iraq. As a 19 year-old, he was assigned the task of photographing corpses and documenting mass graves. He developed severe PTSD, and in 2007, as the result of a suicide attempt that caused him to miss redeployment, he was given a less-than-honorable discharge. After years of legal battles, that discharge was upgraded. Kris went on to become an advocate for veterans with “bad paper” discharges, and helped pass crucial legislation that helps them receive the benefits they deserve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colonel Leo Thorsness served as a fighter pilot in Vietnam. He was a Wild Weasel, whose missions required them to draw surface-to-air (SAM) missiles away from bombers, and then destroy the SAM sites. This meant that Weasels spent sometimes more than 20 minutes over the target, as opposed to the one or two minutes bomber pilots spent. On one mission, COL Thorsness' wingman was shot down, forcing him to eject. As he parachuted to the ground, rescue helicopters were called in to rescue him, but they were threatened by encroaching enemy fighters. Despite being incredibly low on fuel, Thorsness fought off the enemy, saving his wingman and the rescue helicopters. Eleven days later, Thorsness was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese Army. He was captured, and became a prisoner of war. During his first three years in captivity, torture was common. After six years, he was released and sent home. Shortly after returning to the United States, COL Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving his wingman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colonel John Folsom served in the Marine Corps from 1980 to 2010. He was trained as a CH-46 helicopter pilot and a Forward Air Controller, but never flew combat missions. Instead he did staff work at various levels of command. In this interview, Folsom gives an honest look into the lives of non-combat military personnel. He also talks about his work with the Dunham House, a unique assisted living facility for combat-wounded veterans.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every other week, we'll be re-releasing an episode we think deserves more attention. Today, we'll hear about The Candy Bomber. After World War Two, Germany was split up and occupied by the United States, France, Britain and the Soviet Union. In June of 1948, the U.S., France, and Britain announced they were creating a unified West German currency. Joseph Stalin opposed this unification, and cut off land routes from Berlin to West Germany.  In order to bypass the land routes, bombers transported supplies (primarily food) and delivered them to West Berlin in what was called Operation Vittles. Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen was one of several pilots recruited to fly these missions. One day, after sneaking out and flying to Berlin for some R&R, COL Halvorsen met some local children who were survivors of the war. Talking with them changed his life, and he decided he wanted to do something to help them. He returned to base, gathered as much candy and gum as he could, fashioned parachutes with handkerchiefs, and put all the goodies inside. The next day, he flew over West Berlin and dropped the parachutes full of candy out of his bomb bay.  The children were delighted. COL Halvorsen did this several more times, and gained international acclaim for his actions. To learn more about COL Halvorsen, check out his book, The Berlin Candy Bomber. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant Commander Mike Smith served in the Navy as an F/A-18 pilot. He deployed 3 times between 2002 and 2014, and was stationed in Japan, Italy, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida.  He was also Strike/Fighter Pilot of the Year in 2009. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant Colonel Neal Rickner served in the US Marine Corps as an F/A-18 pilot and a Forward Air Controller. He completed three tours in Iraq between 2003 and 2007.  As a Forward Air Controller (FAC), he toured with an infantry battalion, tasked with coordinating air support based on the needs of the battalion.  After coming back from deployment, Rickner served as an instructor pilot for the F/A-18. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technician Fifth Grade Clement Elissondo served in World War II as a tank gunner. He deployed to France just days after the Invasion of Normandy, and survived the destruction of four of his tanks.  In this interview, Elissondo describes the difficulties of tank warfare, narrowly escaping enemy capture, and the camaraderie amongst a tank's crew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Captain Sidney Salomon served in World War II as an Army Ranger. The Rangers were an elite American unit that trained and operated with the famous British Commandos. Using the element of surprise as their main weapon, the Rangers played an important role in the Invasion of Normandy, the Dieppe Raid, and many other significant campaigns.  In this interview, Salomon describes his experiences on D-Day. He took part in the amphibious landing of Omaha Beach with 2nd Ranger Battalion, C Company. C Company was depicted at the beginning of ‘Saving Private Ryan', when Captain Miller, played by Tom Hanks, led them through the landing. It was Salomon's job to storm the beach, climb a cliff, take a mortar position, and then storm a fortified house that held an automatic weapon. On the beach, Salomon was hit by shrapnel from a mortar explosion, and thought he was going to die. Thankfully the injury wasn't that serious, and a medic was able to patch him up. Solomon continued up the cliff and successfully captured the German mortar position, but his unit suffered too many casualties to move onto the fortified house. They held that position until morning. Salomon was awarded a Silver Star for his actions on D-Day.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Beaver is an actor most widely known for his role as Bobby Singer in the TV series Supernatural. Before his acting career, Beaver served in Vietnam with the Marine Corps as a radio operator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mal Middlesworth served in World War II in the Marine Corps. He was 17 years old during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, serving on a Marine Detachment on the USS San Francisco. In this interview, he describes what he saw during Pearl Harbor, the Guadalcanal Campaign, and the Battle of Peleliu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles Sternburg served in the Navy in World War II with the Black Cats. The Black Cats were a group of bombers that flew stealth missions in the Pacific, tasked often with destroying enemy submarines or flying reconnaissance. They flew seaplanes called PBY Catalinas which were nearly invisible during the night, but were incredibly vulnerable to enemy munitions.  Sternburg flew as a co-pilot and bombardier with the Black Cats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant General Charles D. Luckey served in the Army as an infantry officer, special forces officer (Green Beret), and a JAG officer. He retired as the oldest Green Beret in uniform.  In this interview, Luckey tells stories from his service, and what he learned about leadership during his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Commander Jon Macaskill served in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL. He graduated from the Naval Academy, and served in the SEAL teams from 2003 to 2020.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Samuel Fine served as a glider pilot in World War II. He trained British Glider pilots, and flew in with them during the Invasion of Sicily. Fine also flew troops into D-Day & Operation Market Garden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Ken Harbaugh, host of Warriors In Their Own Words. In order to gear up for some exciting new episodes, we're taking a break this week. In the meantime, I wanted to share an episode from another podcast I think you'll enjoy. Unsolved Histories explores forgotten mysteries and other little-known stories. The episode I'm sharing with you covers missing flight 293, where 101 people disappeared with no distress call. This multi-part story they covered in season 1 was so impactful that it directly resulted in Congress passing new legislation. Here is Flight 293 Episode One: Brothers. -- The Unsolved Histories podcast team was pleased to get a phone call letting us know a U.S. senator not only listened to Season 1 but wanted to address a problem raised by our recounting of the tragic story of Flight 293. Military men and women who go missing, but not in action, are not remembered or memorialized and the families left without the support that is given to other MIA families. If passed, the Flight 293 Remembrance Act will change that. Host Feliks Banel researched this and other accidents involving service members who seemed to be forgotten by the government they served. Here's a clip from episode one of Unsolved Histories: What Happened to Flight 293?  For more information, including pictures and all episodes, see our website, unsolvedhistoriespod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Major Robert Prince served as an Army Ranger during World War II. He fought throughout the Phillippines, and helped plan the Raid on Cabanatuan, a Japanese POW camp.  With the help of Filipino civilians, the Rangers, Alamo Scouts and guerilla forces traveled 24 miles under the cover of darkness to launch a surprise attack on the camp. They successfully defeated the Japanese and liberated over 500  prisoners of war. Actor James Franco portrayed MAJ Prince in The Great Raid (2005), which tells the story of Cabanatuan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Corporal Roy Roush served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He fought in the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of Tarawa, the Battle of Saipan, and the Battle of Tinian.  He later served in the Air Force as a fighter pilot during the Korean War.  In this interview, Roush describes his experiences during the Battle of Saipan & the Battle of Tinian To learn more about Roush, check out his book, Open Fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Corporal Roy Roush served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He fought in the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of Tarawa, the Battle of Saipan, and the Battle of Tinian.  He later served in the Air Force as a fighter pilot during the Korean War.  In this interview, Roush describes the Battle of Tarawa. To learn more about Roush, check out his book, Open Fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colonel Francis Gabreski served in World War II as a fighter pilot. He flew bomber escort missions with the 56th Fighter Group in the P-47 Thunderbolt, and was the top U.S. fighter ace in the European theater. He's credited with destroying 34 ½ enemy aircraft in combat, and is one of only seven American pilots to become an ace in two wars (WWII & Korea). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chief Petty Officer Otto Carl Schwarz Jr. served in the Navy in World War II. He was born in the Netherlands, but moved to the US with his family during childhood. He enlisted in the US Navy in January 1941 with the permission of his parents. Schwarz served stints on several ships before making his way to the USS Houston, a heavy cruiser, in June 1941.  During the Battle of Sunda Strait in February 1942, the Houston was sunk by enemy torpedoes and gunfire. Those who escaped the Houston came under machine gun fire from the Japanese as they floated in the water. In total, 700 men were lost.  Like most of the 368 men who survived, Schwarz was captured by the Japanese and sent to a work camp. He was transported via a “Hell ship”.  Hell ships earned their moniker from the allied prisoners of war who were unlucky enough to board one. They were requisitioned merchant ships that were extremely overcrowded with POWs. Described as “floating dungeons”, inmates had “no access to the air, space, light, bathroom facilities, and adequate food or water.” You can learn more about them here.  Schwarz was first sent to Bicycle Camp, a POW camp in modern day Indonesia. There he experienced the best treatment during his time as a prisoner, but it didn't last long. He was transferred to Changi Prison in Singapore, and then to a prison camp in Moulmein, Burma. There he was forced to work on the Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway. According to Britannica “More than 11 percent of civilian internees and 27 percent of Allied POWs died or were killed while in Japanese custody; by contrast, the death rate for Allied POWs in German camps was around 4 percent.” Over 60,000 allies were forced to build it, and over 10,000 died during its construction. Conditions for these POWs were unfathomable. They were underfed and overworked, they suffered from numerous diseases and illnesses, they were given little to no medical attention, they faced harsh weather conditions, they had to deal with insect infestations, and they were often subjected to beatings by their captors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Captain Tom “Bear” Wilson served in Vietnam as an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO). He sat in the back seat of aircraft, and was responsible for monitoring radar in order to warn his pilot of threats, like surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), anti-aircraft artillery, and enemy aircraft. He also protected his aircraft by jamming enemy radar.  As a Wild Weasel, it was Wilson's job to protect friendly aircraft attacking enemy SAM sites, who have one of the most dangerous jobs in modern warfare. Wilson and his front seater drew SAMs away from bombers, and targeted the SAM sites themselves. This meant that Weasels spent sometimes more than 20 minutes over the target, as opposed to the one or two minutes bomber pilots spent. One of our favorite interviews features another Wild Weasel and MOH recipient named Col. Leo Thorsness. Check it out here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Staff Sergeant Sam Hargrove served in the Air Force for 11 years, working in combat communications. During her deployment in Iraq, Hargrove survived a base bombing. The attack left her with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD, but both went untreated.  When she returned home, Hargrove self-medicated with alcohol. Trauma and anger consumed her life until a drunken outburst caused her to punch a hole in a wall in front of her godson: “He was scared. He was standing there to the side shaking and crying.” Hargrove contemplated suicide after that incident, but decided to get help instead. Thanks to peer support groups at the VA, and multiple programs through the Wounded Warrior Project, she was able to find the help and support she needed to get better. Learn how the VA can help you.  Learn how the Wounded Warrior Project can help you.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Captain Lawrence Savadkin served as a computer data torpedo operator on the USS Tang, a submarine, during World War II. During a battle with enemy Japanese ships in October 1944, the Tang was struck by a torpedo and sunk. 78 men were killed.  Savadkin narrowly escaped the sinking sub with his life. He and the 8 other survivors were rescued and captured by the Japanese. He spent the rest of the war as a POW in the Toyko Bay Area. In this interview, Savadkin describes the battle that sunk the Tang, how luck helped him escape the sinking sub, and the conditions of the Japanese POW camp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Specialist Danielle Green served in Iraq with the Military Police Corps as a gunner. On May 25th, 2004, she was hit by a homemade RPG on a rooftop. She lost her left forearm and hand in the blast.  Prior to enlisting at the age of 25, Green played basketball at Notre Dame, and worked as a teacher.  In this interview, Green talks about her service, the blast, and what her physical/mental recovery has been like.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant Belton cooper served in World War II as a ordnance officer. He and his team were tasked with recovering damaged allied tanks, often from behind enemy lines, and repairing them.  In this special holiday episode, he describes a chaotic air raid around Christmastime of 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge.  [Editor's Note: Peep is another name for a Jeep. Cooper uses that terminology a few times during the episode] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I want peace so bad that it hurts.”  Master Sergeant Richard Fiske served in the Marines during World War II as a bugler. He was stationed on the USS West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and watched as the Japanese planes dropped the first torpedoes. He also served in the Battle of Iwo Jima. "'By God,' he says, "This is a hell of a way to start a damn war.'He says, ‘Why don't they tell us first?'" After World War II he got his pilot license and joined the Air Force. He became a crew chief and served in both Korea and Vietnam.  In this interview, he talks about the chaos during Pearl Harbor, the horrors of war, the importance of forgiveness, and meeting the Japanese pilot who tried to kill him on December 7th, 1941. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Boldenweck served in the Korean War with the Marine Corps. In this interview, he talks about the harsh conditions of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, which he was sent to the day after Thanksgiving.  Editor's Note: Boldenweck's rank at the time of the battle, and at the time of his retirement, are unknown.  Make sure to check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel, where we've combined the incredible stories you hear on this show every week with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colonel Vito S. Pedone served in World War II as a Pathfinder Pilot. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the paratrooper fleet into the correct landing zones. Since they were often the first soldiers sent across enemy lines, this was an incredibly dangerous job. As a Pathfinder Pilot, it was Pedone's job to fly the Pathfinders into enemy territory. On D-Day, Pedone co-piloted the lead Pathfinder plane. During the flight over, he leaned forward and stuck his head out the window to check the weather, making him technically the first man to enter France that day.  You can learn more about Pedone here. Make sure to check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel, where we've combined the incredible stories you hear on this show every week with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1st Sergeant Bill Lumsden served in World War II as a Paratrooper and Pathfinder. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the paratrooper fleet into the correct landing zones. Since they were often the first soldiers sent across enemy lines, this was an incredibly dangerous job. As a Pathfinder Pilot, it was Pedone's job to fly the Pathfinders into enemy territory. Lumsden parachuted into enemy territory ahead of the Invasion of France, but was heavily injured after a hard landing and a skirmish with a German soldier. Make sure to check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel, where we've combined the incredible stories you hear on this show every week with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Private First Class John Agnew served in World War II as a Paratrooper and Pathfinder. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the paratrooper fleet into the correct landing zones. Since they were often the first soldiers sent across enemy lines, this was an incredibly dangerous job. As a Pathfinder Pilot, it was Pedone's job to fly the Pathfinders into enemy territory. Agnew parachuted into Normandy on D-Day as a member of the Filthy Thirteen, a paratrooper demolition squad that became notorious for their insubordination and their signature look, that included Native American style warpaint and mohawks. They later inspired the movie The Dirty Dozen. Out of 20 men, Agnew was one of four from his unit that survived D-Day. Agnew, along with half of the surviving members of the Filthy Thirteen, joined the Pathfinders. He fought in the Siege of Bastogne, the Rhine River Crossings, and Operation Market Garden with the Pathfinders. He later also served in Vietnam. In this interview, Agnew describes the Siege of Bastogne and The Filthy Thirteen.  Learn more about Agnew here. Check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel to see incredible stories like this combined with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries. Editor's Note: ‘Private First Class' refers to Agnew's rank during the Siege of Bastogne. His rank by the time of his retirement is unknown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rear Admiral Michael Smith first served as a nuclear engineer in the Navy. After his first tour, he attended graduate school in order to qualify for command. He first gained command of the USS Porter (a destroyer) in 2005. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant Colonel Greg Wilson served in Vietnam & Laos as a Forward Air Controller. As a Forward Air Controller, it was his job to coordinate airstrikes, and ensure that no friendly troops were hit. After less than six months in Vietnam, he joined the classified Steve Canyon Program (Project 404), also known as the Ravens.  Laos was technically neutral during the Vietnam war, and no foreign troops were supposed to be in the country. Nonetheless, the North Vietnamese continued to use Laos in order to import supplies via the Ho Chi Minh trail. Needing to stop the flow of enemy supplies, the USAF began secret airborne operations, targeting enemy vehicles, ground troops, and weapon systems.  The Raven program was eventually developed in order to better execute these operations. Raven pilots wore civilian clothes, and their job was to mark targets with smoke rockets, and direct air strikes onto them.  In this interview, Lt Col Wilson talks about his experience as a FAC and a Raven. He tells this story about first joining the Ravens: “So, I went out for a flight with one of the Ravens, Erik Erikson, and he was in the backseat…He gave me a set of coordinates. I said, ‘Well, there's got to be something. There's got to be a trick here, because this coordinate is right in the middle of a map. I don't have to piece them together.' So, I flew to those coordinates, and he said, ‘What do you see down there?' So, I looked down and I said, ‘Well, it looks like a crashed 0-1.' He said, ‘You're right. What else do you see down there?' I said, ‘Well, I can't be sure, but I'd say that it looks like skeletal remains.' And he said, ‘You're right again. You're his replacement.' So, that was kind of my wakeup call that they figured I was a rookie. And they also, wanted to let me know that this was the real game, that there was threat here. And that if you were shot down in this environment, you were not going to be captured, you were not going to be a POW, you were going to be a fatality.” Learn more about Wilson here. Check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel to see incredible stories like this combined with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Signalman 2nd Class Don Carter served on the USS Guadalcanal in World War II. The ship hunted U-Boats, which had terrorized American convoys in the Atlantic. As a signalman, it was his job to use flags and lights to send messages to other vessels.  On June 4th, 1944, the Guadalcanal spotted and captured U-Boat 505, the only one obtained by the U.S. Navy during the entire war. The information gained by its capture, namely the captain's code book, was crucial to the war effort. This success was kept top secret, and the public only learned about it after the war.  LTJG Albert L. David was awarded the Medal of Honor for securing the sensitive materials that day.  U-505 was transported back to the U.S., and now sits at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Carter's pistol is also on display at the museum.  Editor's Note: Carter's rank at the time of his retirement is unknown. Signalman 2nd Class reflects his rank at the time of U-505's capture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Pace served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. He first deployed to Afghanistan at the beginning of the War on Terror as an infantryman, then redeployed to Afghanistan in ‘03. After attending officer candidate school, Pace then deployed to Iraq as a company executive officer in ‘07.  Pace then decided to join the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets). He did work in places like Colombia, Peru, Europe and Central America, doing foreign internal defense before returning to Afghanistan in 2019 as a part of Special Operation Forces. There, he oversaw drone warfare. In this interview, Pace talks about his deployment to Iraq, joining the Green Berets, and the horrors of drone warfare:  “I started to feel like I was running some kind of weird factory, where our product was human tragedies, where we're just blowing up these people over and over, we're just watching it night after night. And it started to bother me, but it did achieve its desired effect. It did achieve its impact. Again, it's a very effective way to do business.”  Click here to check out Two Weeks In Hell, the Discovery Channel show about the Green Beret's training which features LTC Pace.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Pace served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. He first deployed to Afghanistan at the beginning of the War on Terror as an infantryman, then redeployed to Afghanistan in ‘05. After attending officer candidate school, Pace then deployed to Iraq as a company commander in ‘07.  Pace then decided to join the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets). He did work in places like Colombia, Peru, Europe and Central America, doing foreign internal defense before returning to Afghanistan in 2019 as a part of Special Operation Forces. There, he oversaw drone warfare. In this interview, Pace talks about his first two deployments, explaining the intense lead-up, the reality of the situation, moral difficulties, and the difficulties they faced. Next time on Warriors In Their Own Words, we'll hear the rest of Pace's story, where he talks about his deployment to Iraq, joining the Green Berets, and the horrors of drone warfare.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant General John Norton served in the US Army as a Pathfinder and paratrooper during World War II. He commanded the 505 regimental combat team and completed four jumps during the war, including during the Invasion of Sicily, the Invasion of Italy, the Invasion of Normandy, and Operation Market Garden. He also participated in the Battle of the Bulge.  In this interview, Norton recounts his jumps while explaining the inception and development of the Pathfinders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gregory “Pappy” Boyington was a legendary WWII fighter pilot. He is credited with destroying 28 Japanese aircraft, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor- but his legacy has been tainted by his abuse of alcohol and a historically inaccurate TV portrayal.  Today in a special episode of Warriors In Their Own Words, we'll be hearing from two men who knew Boyington personally. Both Lieutenant Colonel Henry Bourgeois and Major J. Ned Corman served under Boyington as pilots in the famous Black Sheep Squadron, which operated in the Solomon islands during WWII. They both also reconnected with Boyington after the war, and got to see how he changed through his life.  To hear Bourgeois' personal stories from his service, check out our episode titled “Inside the Black Sheep Squadron”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brothers in Arms is a special three-part series that tells the stories of SgtMaj Dan Miller and SSgt Nick Bennett, two Iraq War vets whose lives were forever changed by a deadly rocket attack.  Today, in the final part of this series, you'll hear SSgt Bennett share his side of the story. Bennett also deployed to Iraq with the Marine Corps, initially working in the comms center before transferring to base security. The rocket attack almost killed him, and he too returned home with serious mental health issues.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brothers in Arms is a special three-part series that tells the stories of SgtMaj Dan Miller and SSgt Nick Bennett, two Iraq War vets whose lives were forever changed by a deadly rocket attack.  Today we're sharing the second episode in this series, where you'll hear the rest of SgtMaj Dan Miller's story. Miller served in the Marine Corps as a heavy artilleryman and a small unit infantry leader, and fought in the initial wave of Operation Desert Storm and then in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In this special PTSD Awareness Day episode, he recounts the rocket attack that wounded him and SSgt Bennett, candidly discusses the mental health struggles he has faced, and tells the story of how he connected with Bennett years later.  Next week, in the final part of this series, you'll hear Bennett share his side of the story. Bennett also deployed to Iraq with the Marine Corps, initially working in the comms center before transferring to base security. The rocket attack almost killed him, and he too returned home with serious mental health issues.  If you're a veteran struggling with your mental health, visit mentalhealth.va.gov for numerous helpful resources. Dial 988 if you're feeling suicidal and need immediate assistance.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brothers in Arms is a special three-part series that tells the stories of SgtMaj Dan Miller and SSgt Nick Bennett, two Iraq War vets whose lives were forever changed by a deadly rocket attack.  In this first part, you'll hear Sergeant Major Dan Miller talk about his first two deployments to Iraq. Miller served in the Marine Corps as a heavy artilleryman and a small unit infantry leader, and fought in the initial wave of Operation Desert Storm, and then in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Next week, you'll hear the rest of SgtMaj Miller's story. In a special PTSD Awareness Day episode, he recounts the rocket attack that wounded him and SSgt Bennett, candidly discusses the mental health struggles he has faced, and tells the story of how he connected with Bennett years later.  In the final part of this series, you'll hear Bennett share his side of the story. Bennett also deployed to Iraq with the Marine Corps, initially working in the comms center before transferring to base security. The rocket attack almost killed him, and he too returned home with serious mental health issues.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices