S/Sgt Melvin Hurwitz, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II
Melvin Hurwirz was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Within just a few years, all four boys in his family were at war, each in a different branch of the service. After enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Hurwitz was assigned as a gunner and as a radio man for a B-17 bomber crew after an aptitude test showed his proficiency at Morse Code. His crew then had a bit of an adventure flying the bomber over to Great Britain. It was Spring 1945 by the time he saw his first bombing mission.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Hurwitz explains why he chose the Army Air Corps, what he was thinking as he went up on that first mission, and the amount of enemy resistance he faced in those final weeks of the war.Hurwitz also details his four bombing missions, particularly two aimed at German personnel still in France and how his was among the first planes ever to drop napalm in Europe. Hurwitz also tells us about bringing desperately-needed humanitarian aid to Belgium and the Netherlands at the end of the war and bringing French POW's back from Germany.
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31:31
Col. Anthony Wood, USMC, Vietnam, Evacuation of Saigon
Anthony "Tony" Wood grew up in a Marine Corps family and enlisted to begin his own service in 1964. Before long he was commissioned as a USMC officer. His first deployment to Vietnam came shortly after the Tet Offensive. Initially trained as an infantry platoon commander, he soon found himself leading an armored platoon.Wood was deployed to Vietnam again in 1974, long after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords and American forces had gone home. Initially working to solve cases of Americans missing in action, Wood was tasked with planning the evacuation of Americans from Saigon after the North Vietnamese violated the peace agreement and invaded South Vietnam.April 30, 1975, marks 50 years since the fall of Saigon.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles," Col. Wood takes us step by step into how he and others planned the evacuation with virtually no security and very few assets of any kind. He also explains how he had to keep the planning a secret from America's own ambassador to South Vietnam. He also shares the ingenious ways that they camouflaged the evacuation, using cars painted to look like the local police, and bus drivers communicating through very basic but effective means. And Wood explains how the evacuation was impacted by South Vietnamese civilians pouring into the city with the North Vietnamese forces not far behind.We'll also learn details about Wood's first deployment in 1968-1969, how he worked alongside the South Korean Marines' Blue Dragon Brigade, and how the Tet Offensive was horribly misinterpreted by the U.S. media and politicians.
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38:00
Capt. Sarah Spradlin, Marine Forces Special Operations Command
Sarah Spradlin knew she wanted to serve her nation in uniform, and to her the only option was the U.S. Marine Corps. She was commissioned as an officer after completing ROTC training at Virginia Tech in May 2001. Within months, the U.S. was at war following the 9/11 attacks.But Spradlin was not deployed to a war zone. After an assignment in Okinawa, she returned to the U.S. to oversee the training of female Marine recruits at Parris Island and focusing on ways to improve manpower. After that, she found herself at Marine Forces Special Operation Command, or MARSOC. It was in that position that Spradlin began researching emotional intelligence in special operators, and especially female special operators.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Spradlin takes us with her to Okinawa, Parris Island, and MARSOC. And she explains how she got this new science off the ground, what she's learned about female special operators, how they interact with their male counterparts, and how her research has helped the effectiveness of our special operators.
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35:13
SFC James Thompson, U.S. Army Buffalo Soldiers, Korea
James Thompson joined the U.S. Army in 1948, in part to avoid the consequences for his troubled behavior. Soon he was off to segregated training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Within a few months, Thompson was deployed to Europe, where he and the other troops were able to gain valuable training experience.The deployment was cut short, forces were brought home, and then they were shipped off to Japan. It was there that Thompson was assigned to the Buffalo Soldiers, all-Black service members in the 24th regiment of the 25th infantry division.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Thompson reflects on entering a segregated Army and how he didn't even know about President Truman's orders to desegregate the Armed Forces until years later because so little had changed. He also takes us inside his first combat experience at Ushon in Korea and how important it was to be a quick learner in combat. Thompson also tells about how he was wounded in 1951 and forced to go home because of his injuries. Finally, he recounts the impressive record of the Buffalo Soldiers in Korea and explains why he's still working hard for his unit to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.
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32:06
Lt. Col. Bruce McKenty, U.S. Army, Vietnam
Bruce McKenty was born into an Army family, as his father was a career officer. By the time he finished high school, McKenty knew he wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps. He was commissioned as an officer upon graduation from Texas A&M and soon went to flight training. After completing flight school in April 1972, McKenty was assigned to fly AH-1G Cobra attack helicopters in support of ground forces near the Cambodian border.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, McKentry tells us why he loved flying Cobras and why the enemy hated to see them coming. He also shares the riveting, emotional story of the day his Cobra was shot down,McKenty explains the horrible sequence of events that led to his helicopter going down, blacking out upon impact, and how the other pilot on his Cobra, despite being badly burned, dragged him away from the burining helicopter and towards other Americans before enemy forces could locate them.
Hear firsthand stories from America’s military heroes on Veterans Chronicles. From D-Day, Iwo Jima, and Khe Sanh to Baghdad, Fallujah, and Afghanistan, this podcast features exclusive interviews with eyewitnesses to history’s greatest battles. Rare archival recordings and segments like “Heroes of the Air” and “World War II Chronicles” bring their courage to life. Subscribe for gripping tales of bravery and sacrifice.Learn more about Veterans Chronicles here.
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