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.
Billy 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 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 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.
In 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 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.