Welcome to Episode 7 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. This month features the story of First Sergeant Mike Allen, a career Army soldier who began his service under fire in the jungles of South Vietnam.Mike served in the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division, which helped revolutionize U.S. tactics by quickly deploying […]
The road through life is never straight and rarely fair. Some begin their journey with a supportive family and an adequate income, giving them a head start along their way. Others are not so fortunate, facing seemingly insurmountable hurdles that conspire to keep them from continuing. Yet they drive on, navigating around the hurdles until […]
Welcome to Episode 6 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. This month features the story of Sergeant Richard “Dick” Sowinski, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the 1950’s.Everything about Dick’s story is timeless. When you look at his picture, you can’t tell if it was taken in the 1950s or the 2020s. The […]
When you enlist in the military, you never know what Uncle Sam has in store for you. In essence, you are giving the military a blank check to write your future for the term of your enlistment and often beyond. Such was the case for Senior Airman Robert Johnson, who joined the Air Force in […]
Welcome to Episode 4 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. This month features the incredibly inspiring story of Staff Sergeant Vanessa Lawicki Vaché, U.S. Air Force. Vanessa’s story is one you will want to share with your kids. When others told her she wasn’t good enough, she worked hard and proved them wrong. Her success […]
Everyone has heard the old Navy recruiting slogan “Join the Navy – See the world.” It takes a special person, though, to follow through and visit a recruiter’s office, sign an enlistment contract, and put the slogan to the test. Master Chief Legalman David S. Leafer, U.S. Navy (Retired), did just that and found the […]
What do you say to an Air Force pilot who flew 377 combat missions over the course of four different combat tours in Vietnam? How do you say thanks to a man who answered his country’s call and put his life on the line every time his aircraft took off from far away bases in […]
I find it amazing how one small event can change the entire course of a life. For Private First Class Robert F. Burgess, U.S. Army, that moment came in 1946 when his grandmother told him to check with the Grand Rapids draft board before heading to California with his friends. One year later, instead of […]
I met Private First Class (PFC) Sue (Van Meter) Hodge after she read an article about when veterans are permitted to salute the American flag. Sue was ecstatic after learning that because she is a veteran, she can salute the flag she so willingly served as a member of the Women’s Army Corps, or WACs, […]
Like many veterans, Technical Sergeant Susan “Susie” Goebel, U.S. Air Force (Retired), hesitated to talk to me about herself. She views her 15 years of service as nothing special or heroic. In fact, she’ll tell you she was just doing her job. To Susie, the family separations, the inspections in the middle of the night, […]