Veterans Chronicles

Dec 11 2024 465 ep. 36 mins 649

Veterans Chronicles Podcast artwork

Veterans Chronicles tells the stories of America's greatest heroes in their own words.

History Society & Culture

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

Pfc. John 'Bill' Kongable, U.S. Army, World War II

Dec 11 2024 36 mins

John "Bill" Kongable was drafted into the U.S. Army just a couple of days after graduating from high school in 1944. From there it was on to basic training and eventually being trained as a gunman for an anti-tank copmany attached to the Army's 89th Infantry Division. He would first see combat in March 1945.In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Kongable describes the guns he us

Sgt. Robert Day, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah

Dec 04 2024 54 mins

Robert Day joined the U.S. Marine Corps just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Soon he was being transformed into a Marine at Parris Island, and, less than three years later, he would be part of some of the most intense combat of the Iraq War during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November and December 2004. He served as a machine gunner with the 1st Battlion/8th Mari

Col. Sean Corrigan, U.S. Army, Iraq, Afghanistan, Desert Storm, Panama

Nov 27 2024 51 mins

Sean Corrigan was commissioned as a second lieutenant when he graduated from West Point in 1988. Within just a couple of years, he saw action in both Panama and Desert Storm. Soon after that he entered the world of special operations and served there for the remainder of his career, including combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and a harrowing assignment in Yemen.In this edi

Cpl Frank Wright, USMC, World War II, Fighting on Iwo Jima

Nov 20 2024 33 mins

Frank Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, when he was just 16 years old. Before long, he became one of the famed Marine Raiders. After deploying first to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Wright contracted malaria and had to spend time recovering. After that, he was part of Marine landings on many different islands in the Pacific, including Saipan, Guam, and Iwo Jima.A f

Y3C Lee Broussard, U.S. Navy, World War II, Witness to Japanese Surrrender

Nov 13 2024 27 mins

Lee Brousard enlisted in the Navy with the intention of joining the Naval Air Corps. But as he was traveling to Florida for flight training, the Navy changed those plans and sent him to San Diego for naval training. After completing basic training, Broussard then finished at the top of his class at Pacific Fleet School at Pearl Harbor. That led to him joining the staff and ship of

Sgt. Mike Ergo, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah

Nov 06 2024 55 mins

Mike Ergo originally joined the U.S. Marine Corps to play his saxophone in the Marine Corps band. But a short time after joining the Corps in 2001, Ergo changed his mind and asked to be transferred to the infantry. Soon, the U.S. was at war in both Afghanistan and Iraq. After an uneventful first deployment to Iraq, Ergo returned in the summer of 2004 with A Company, 1st Battalion,

Col. Aaron Cunningham, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah

Oct 30 2024 51 mins

Aaron Cunningham started thinking seriously about military service after watching Operation Desert Storm unfold in 1991, the year he graduated from high school. He began college without being sure of military service. Now, Col. Cunningham is retired after 29 years of service. But the service that he is most proud of is serving as commander of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marin

Cpl Kenneth Wells, USMC, World War II, Okinawa

Oct 23 2024 48 mins

Kenneth Wells was planning to join the U.S. Navy in World War II but the U.S. Marine Corps recruiter at the office told him he was joining the Marines instead. And so he did. His background as an athlete and working on the family farm helped Wells do well in boot camp. Soon he would be halfway around the world, fighting in some of the toughest combat in World War II on the island o

Capt. Vincent 'Bill' Purple, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II

Oct 16 2024 39 mins

Vincent "Bill" Purple joined the U.S. Army Air Corps following the Japense attack on Pearl Harbor. Like most young men interested in joining the Air Corps, he wanted to be a fighter pilot. But the Army had different plans. Soon Purple was training on multi-engine planes in preparation for being a B-17 Bomber pilot. He was deployed to England as part of the 379th bomb group inside t

Cpl Frank Wright, USMC, World War II, Hand-to-Hand Fighting on Guam

Oct 09 2024 27 mins

Frank Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, when he was just 16 years old. Before long, he became one of the famed Marine Raiders. After deploying first to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Wright contracted malaria and had to spend time recovering. After that, he was part of Marine landings on many different islands in the Pacific, including Saipan, Guam, and Iwo Jima.In