During his senior year in High School, he attended a career fair. The Navy was looking for recruits as enlisted flight crew. When he learned that one of the Naval aircraft tracked Russian subs he was “all in”.
William “Corky” Gould was a 20-year-old boiler technician on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea 100 miles off the coast of North Vietnam when a fire alarm blared. A second alarm followed 20 seconds later.
Jim Hamilton discovered his passion for air travel as a teenager, when he routinely rode to O'Hare and hopped on short flights to and from Chicago — all without his parents knowledge.
John arrived in Vietnam just after the TET Offensive of 1968 to the 2/39th 9th Division. His primary base camp was Dong Tam in the Mekong Delta.
Dave Dial grew up as an only child in a hardworking blue-collar family. His parents didn’t graduate from high school, but they were doubly determined that their son would have opportunities they hadn’t.
Patrick Lloyd will never forget the first time he saw Pearl Harbor. He was just 18 in the summer of 1944, still new to the U.S. Navy. And he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Mary McCafferty was born and raised in Chicago. Her mother’s ancestors were some of the early founders of the city of Chicago.
Keith Howard had been serving at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan for several months when he received orders to board a plane, although he wasn’t told the destination.
Reginald (Reggie) Jones, a proud Chicagoan and the youngest of five children, proudly served our country all over the globe, in places most people could never imagine having the opportunity to visit.
Born on November 26, 1945, in Sandwich, Illinois, Gene Potter grew up on a family farm near Sheridan, part of a farming heritage that stretched back to 1841.
Most people don’t realize they are a witness to history until long after the moment has come and gone. So it was for Lt. Ed Bales, CIC officer aboard the Destroyer Escort USS Beale, during the Bay of Pigs, and, 18 months later, the Cuban missile crisis.
Dave Miller entered life in a hurry. The U.S. military would later match his urgency, molding a restless boy into a soldier before he found peace and learned to enjoy life.
Everyone knows the infamy of September 11, 2001, but not the following.
The Bunton Brothers grew up loving sports and their country. All five brothers served our country with honor, married and had children of their own.
Bruce Callen did not choose to be a combat medic in Vietnam. It chose him.
He has never forgotten them. A Vietnamese woman and her daughter. They were standing silently in the maelstrom swirling on the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon.
Trainimair Platte served for over 20 years in the Air Force, rising through the ranks to attend the prestigious Air Force Institute of Technology. That experience paved for the way for a successful career after the military.
Mike Pfeffer joined the Navy to learn a trade, and he experienced history as a result. Working in the boiler room of the USS Coral Sea, Pfeffer was a part of the evacuation of Saigon and the Mayaguez Incident at the close of the Vietnam War.
Mario Candia's camera documented the Air Force's actions during the Vietnam War and so much more. From the top-secret "Misty" missions to up close photos during a Bob Hope USO show, Mario's images illustrated the War for many.
Leonard Bunge always had his eye on military service, with a strong lean toward flying. He joined the Navy and flew with the Navy Patrol Squadron VP-9 "Golden Eagles" patrolling the Sea of Japan during the Korean War.