Welcome to Episode 29 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. This episode features the story of 1st Lieutenant Henry Lowenstern, U.S. Army.Henry served in the Army during World War II and has a truly amazing story. He and his family escaped from persecution in Nazi Germany in 1937 and came to the United States. Henry […]
Welcome to Episode 27 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. This episode features the story of Private First Class Robert F. Burgess, U.S. Army. Bob Burgess has always been someone who’s lived life on his own terms. From enlisting in the Army rather than waiting to be drafted, to experiencing all that living in post-war […]
Sometimes people are presented with options having life changing consequences. Such was the case with Sergeant Russell J. Wright, U.S. Army, when he received his draft notice in May of 1970. With the war in Vietnam winding down and protestors clamoring for draftees to flee to Canada, Russ could have evaded the draft and kept himself safe from a war that had already killed tens of thousands of Americans. Instead, he chose to do his duty and report for service because he knew it was the right thing to do. Now, looking back on his service in the jungles and rice paddies of South Vietnam over fifty years later, Russ is proud of his service and would do it all again. This is his story.
Welcome to Episode 26 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. I’m your host, David E. Grogan, and today we feature the story of Sergeant Daniel J. Smith, U.S. Army.Daniel joined the Army in 1986 because he wanted something bigger for his life. He chose to become a medic and excelled in his field, graduating #2 […]
Welcome to Episode 25 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. This episode features the story of Specialist Billy Terrell, U.S. Army.Billy Terrell has one of the most incredible stories I’ve encountered. He had just started to pull himself out of poverty by writing a song that was recorded by the Duprees in 1965. The same […]
It’s easy to take for granted the freedoms we have because we live in a country isolated from its adversaries by two vast oceans. As a result, most of us live our lives unconcerned with the possibility of an invading foreign army. Many U.S. allies do not enjoy the same luxury, as they find themselves bordered by authoritarian regimes ready to cross their borders at the first sign of weakness. The U.S. has supported its allies since the end of World War II by sending forces to stand with them against would-be aggressors. Sergeant Thomas Lucken, U.S. Army, was one of those soldiers called to hold the line during the Cold War by spending over thirteen years overseas in South Korea and Germany as a Cavalry Scout. This is his story.
Welcome to Episode 24 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. This episode features the story of Specialist Jack Murphy, U.S. Army.Twenty-five years after patrolling the rice paddies of the Mekong Delta and the triple-canopy jungles of Vietnam, the moment of inspiration Jack had been waiting for finally arrived. He picked up his guitar and composed […]
Chaplains in the military are a special breed. Not only do they assume the hardships of their own military service, including long family separations and deployments into combat zones, but they also try to lighten the burdens of the men and women they serve with by helping them carry their loads. Chaplain Lavern W. Gardai, U.S. Army (Retired), who served with the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in Vietnam and then went on to a distinguished twenty-eight-year Army career, knows these stresses all to well—he lived them firsthand. From ministering to the wounded, to surviving a deadly helicopter crash, he’s done it all. This is his story
Everyone faces adversity in life. How an individual deals with that adversity determines the course their life will follow. Specialist Ashley Hawkins, U.S. Army (Retired), has dealt with more than her share of adversity, yet she’s never let it define her. Instead, she confronts it head on and overcomes it, always looking toward a better future. This unwavering determination resulted in her being the first female soldier in U.S. history to be awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” for valor in combat. This is her story.
Welcome to Episode 21 of the Voices to Veterans podcast. This episode features the story of Staff Sergeant Adam Joseph, U.S. Army. Adam served in the artillery and did two tours in Vietnam, both in the northern part of South Vietnam where he was constantly under fire. His luck ran out during his second tour and he was seriously wounded. […]