Philip Foss: A Captain in the skies after 9/11
marc.zarefsky2026-06-23T20:01:51-05:00Everyone knows the infamy of September 11, 2001, but not the following.
Five Patriotic Bunton Brothers
marc.zarefsky2026-06-23T20:03:23-05:00The 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: Life as a Combat Medic
marc.zarefsky2026-06-23T20:01:06-05:00Bruce Callen did not choose to be a combat medic in Vietnam. It chose him.
Ed Piane: Desperate Days
marc.zarefsky2026-06-24T01:01:39-05:00He 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: Logistics Excellence
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T18:39:36-05:00Trainimair 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: Sailing Into History
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T18:30:17-05:00Mike 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: From Bolivia to the Wild Blue Yonder
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T18:20:07-05:00Mario 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: Korean War VP-9 Aviator
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T18:04:54-05:00Leonard 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.
William “Billy” Kot: Such A Great Life
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T17:53:10-05:00Billy was a Ration Breakdown Specialist in Vietnam, figuring out how much of each ration of meat, vegetables, etc. each company would get. His career after the service was just as full.
Carl Gatto: A Career in Helicopters
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T17:20:08-05:00Carl Gatto attended Lewis College for Aircraft Maintenance, which led to a career in the military in which he was a UH-1 Helicopter Crew Chief, Aircraft Inspector, Platoon Sergeant, Helicopter Maintenance Instructor, and 1SG. of UH-60 Assault Helicopter Company.
Robert Anderson: The RTO With a Bronze Star
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T17:06:27-05:00Robert Anderson was an RTO in the jungles of Vietnam. On the morning of July 6, 1970, Rob’s life was forever changed when he was wounded in a firefight. He earned a Bronze Star that day coordinating the evacuation for himself and five other soldiers.
Jack Rauscher: Resilience and Humor Carried Him Through the Delta
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T16:51:12-05:00In Vietnam, Jack served as an engineman on a “Tango” boat used to move various personnel through the Mekong Delta as part of the Brown Water Navy. The vessels carried a seven-man crew, up to 40 infantrymen, and were heavily armed, but slow. Jack often piloted the boat himself.
Doug Strasburg: Fast Cars, Slow Bulldozers
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T14:49:13-05:00Doug Strasburg says he was born with the ‘go fast’ gene. He loved figuring out how car engines worked. So naturally, when he entered the Army, he was trained as a heavy equipment operator driving very slow bulldozers in Vietnam.
Larry Beall: Second Generation Seabee
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T11:23:10-05:00Larry Beall's dad was a Seabee in WWII, so when his draft notice arrived in August of 1966, he knew he wanted to join the Navy. He didn't initially plan to follow his father's footsteps exactly, but a trade school education prior to joining made his Seabee assignment pretty much a given.
Adrienne Rubinkowski: Submarine Surveillance and Logistics
Doug Meffley2026-05-19T10:59:03-05:00During 20 years of service which included some tremendous responsibilities and intense experiences, when asked if she was ever scared or concerned, Lt. Rubinkowski’s immediate answer was during the Gulf War when she had to prepare recruits and their families for what was an unexpected deployment. A true dedicated service member, her concern was for others first.
Edward Johnson: No man left behind
marc.zarefsky2026-04-22T22:15:06-05:00We often hear the battle cry of “ NO MAN LEFT BEHIND“, but seldom have the opportunity to meet an individual who performed this mission. SP4 Edward Johnson was wounded in his left shoulder on December 18, 1965, for which he later was awarded the Purple Heart.
Chuck Bosko: Still not feeling like he did enough
marc.zarefsky2026-05-19T14:20:10-05:00First Sergeant Charles, “Chuck,” Bosko served in the US Army as a Combat Medic during the Vietnam War. Before Chuck joined the military, multiple relatives of his also proudly served our country, including his father, who served in the South Pacific during WWII as a Combat Engineer.
Michael Granberry: ‘Corporal Granberry is alive’
marc.zarefsky2026-04-22T22:12:16-05:00Michael’s enlistment code was an MOS 0311, also known as Grunt Rifleman / Ground Pounder. The riflemen are the heart of the Marine Corps. His unit was sent out on “Search and Destroy Missions” right away.
The Boys of Our Lady of Guadalupe
marc.zarefsky2026-04-13T06:25:28-05:00This is the story of three sons of Our Lady Of Guadalupe who also fought in Vietnam. They came home with deep emotional scars. But theirs’ is also a story of love, loyalty, and healing.
Terry Welch: A charmed and interesting life
marc.zarefsky2026-04-13T06:22:59-05:00Terry Welch says he’s lived a charmed life. It does seem that way. Despite being wounded twice during his one-year tour in Vietnam, multiple skydives and almost crashing his Cessna airplane, his life has certainly been charmed and interesting.