Ask A Vet Podcast

Randy Olea joined the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War and trained as an Air Policeman, a role responsible for guarding aircraft, securing the base perimeter, and defending against threats most people back home never heard about. In this episode, Randy shares what it was really like to serve in Vietnam, from basic training and Air Police school to guarding the flight line with an M-16, living under constant tension, and navigating the emotional weight of coming home. This conversation is honest, grounded, and deeply human. It’s about service, responsibility, brotherhood, and the things they don’t tell you before you go.

If you value preserving veteran stories, please like, comment, and share- it truly helps these stories reach more people.

Ask A Vet is dedicated to putting as many veterans’ stories into the world as possible before they’re gone forever. If you or someone you know is a veteran with a story to share, we would be honored to hear from you. Please reach out to us at [email protected]

Episode Chapters 

06:00 – Basic Training & Air Police School

12:00 – Arriving in Vietnam

18:00 – What an Air Policeman Actually Did

26:00 – Guarding the Perimeter & Flight Line

34:00 – Carrying an M-16 & Constant Readiness

42:00 – The Brotherhood & Daily Life

50:00 – The Emotional Toll

58:00 – Coming Home & Reflections 

At just 17 years old, Josh Cruze was drafted into the United States Marine Corps and sent to Vietnam as an M60 machine gunner. In this unfiltered conversation, Josh shares what war was really like: the moments no one prepares you for, the brothers he lost, the wounds he survived, and the lifelong battle of coming home from combat when the war never really ends.If you believe these stories matter, please subscribe, like, comment, and share. Your support helps preserve the voices of our veterans before they’re gone forever.

Episode Chapters:

01:05 – Growing up in Brooklyn & being drafted at 17

04:45 – Convincing his parents to let him join the Marines

08:30 – Boot camp shock, fear, and earning the title “Marine”

13:40 – Infantry training & becoming an M60 machine gunner

17:30 – The Tet Offensive & being sent to Vietnam

21:15 – Arriving in Vietnam & first moments of real fear

24:40 – First firefights and learning how fast things change

29:00 – Losing friends and seeing war’s true cost

33:10 – Operation Allenbrook & the explosion that nearly killed him

36:45 – Being wounded, medevac, and field hospital memories

41:00 – Purple Heart, Guam, and coming home injured

46:30 – Returning to a divided America

50:10 – PTSD, marriage, and silent struggles after the war

55:30 – Finding healing through education and acting

59:40 – How theater changed his life forever

Ask A Vet is dedicated to putting as many veterans’ stories into the world as possible before they’re gone forever. If you or someone you know is a veteran with a story to share, we would be honored to hear from you. Please reach out to us at [email protected].

What was it really like flying Dust Off medevac missions in Vietnam?In this powerful oral history, Kerry Cunningham, a DustOff medevac crew chief, shares what he experienced flying wounded soldiers out of combat zones during the Vietnam War, often under fire, often at night, and often with no margin for error.From being shot at during a “possible broken arm” call, to night hoist rescues in triple-canopy jungle, to the emotional toll of carrying the wounded and dying at just 19 years old, Kerry takes us inside the realities of Vietnam medevac missions.

🎖️ Curious Humanography is proud to partner with Utah Honor Flight, helping veterans visit the memorials built in their honor.

Chapters:

03:05 – Drafted at 19 years old

06:40 – Boot camp & early training

10:15 – Aircraft mechanic school

13:40 – Arriving in Vietnam

15:30 – Volunteering for DustOff

18:45 – What a DustOff crew chief actually does

22:30 – First medevac mission

27:10 – Night hoist rescues in the jungle

32:50 – Being shot at over a “broken arm”

37:40 – Losing friends in the air

42:15 – Carrying wounded enemy soldiers

46:50 – Agent Orange exposure

51:30 – The medics who saved lives

56:10 – Why Dust Off missions were different

01:00:45 – Leaving Vietnam (and going back)

01:07:20 – Coming home to protests

01:17:50 – Final reflections

What was it really like to be an artillery sergeant in Vietnam? In this powerful episode, Paul Henderson shares an unfiltered account of his service during the Vietnam War, from volunteering for the draft in 1968, to leading a 105mm howitzer crew in some of the most dangerous areas of the war. Paul walks us through life on remote firebases, artillery raids deep into hostile territory, incoming rocket and mortar attacks, and the night his life nearly ended in a devastating gun pit explosion.But this episode goes far beyond combat stories; Paul opens up about coming home to a country that didn’t want to hear about Vietnam, struggling silently with PTSD, addiction, guilt, and eventually finding a path toward healing. His perspective on empowering veterans is one of the most honest and insightful conversations we’ve had on the podcast.This episode is about courage, brotherhood, trauma, accountability, and what real healing can look like when veterans are finally allowed to tell their stories.🇺🇸 Thank you to Paul for his honesty, courage, and willingness to share his story.CHAPTERS: 01:05 – Volunteering for the Draft (1968)05:00 – Instant NCO School & Preparing for Combat08:20 – Flying to Vietnam & First Impressions10:00 – 101st Airborne & Life on a Mountain Fire Base15:00 – Inside a 105mm Howitzer Crew19:30 – Tet 68 & Covering the A Shau Valley22:15 – Artillery Raids Behind Enemy Lines24:30 – When the Sappers Hit the Wire27:30 – The First Rocket Attack (Freezing in Fear)30:00 – Brotherhood, Responsibility & Growing Into Command33:30 – The Explosion That Changed Everything36:30 – Medevac & The Reality of War Hospitals39:45 – The Burn Ward in Japan42:30 – Leaving Vietnam: Relief, Guilt & Something Unspoken46:00 – Coming Home to an Unpopular War49:00 – Skiing, Drinking & Detoxing Vietnam52:00 – PTSD, Darkness & Nightmares55:00 – Why I Went Back into Special Forces58:00 – What Vietnam Really Did to Me

In this episode, we sit down with Ben Thornal, a retired U.S. Army aviator who served in Vietnam flying OH-6 “Loach” helicopters during some of the war’s most intense operations, including Hamburger Hill.Ben takes us from the moment he received his draft notice, through flight school, combat reconnaissance missions, near-misses, loss, and the brotherhood that defined his service. He shares what it was really like flying low and slow over hostile terrain, calling in gunships, surviving being shot down, and witnessing extraordinary courage — including a Dustoff rescue that still stays with him decades later.But this conversation isn’t just about combat. It’s also about love, memory, and what comes after war. Ben reflects on meeting his wife Diane in Vietnam, coming home, living with PTSD, and why telling these stories still matters.Ben Thornal also appears alongside his wife, Diane, in the documentary "The Donut Dollies: 627 Women who Also Served in Vietnam", where they share their remarkable love story that began during the Vietnam War. To hear more of Ben and Diane’s story, watch the amazing documentary here:    • The Donut Dollies: 627 Women who Also Serv...  If you or someone you know has a story that should be heard, we'd love to hear from you at [email protected]. CHAPTERS: 02:10 – Getting the Draft Notice06:45 – Officer Candidate School (OCS)11:20 – Flight School: Learning to Fly16:40 – Assigned to the OH-6 “Loach”20:55 – Arriving in Vietnam25:10 – What a Recon Mission Really Looked Like30:45 – Hamburger Hill36:30 – Being Shot Down & Dustoff Rescue47:20 – Life Between Missions52:30 – The 4th of July Incident56:40 – Donut Dollies & Meeting Diane1:01:30 – Coming Home from Vietnam1:11:30 – Why These Stories Still Matter🎖️ Curious Humanography is proud to partner with Utah Honor Flight, helping veterans visit memorials built in their honor. To learn more or support their mission, visit UtahHonorFlight.org and honorflight.org.If this story moved you, please consider liking, commenting, and subscribing — it helps us continue sharing stories that deserve to be heard.

In this episode, Vietnam veteran and writer Brian Delate shares stories he’s carried for decades: from being drafted at 19, to flying into Vietnam on a commercial airline, to unexpectedly becoming the armorer for a helicopter company responsible for millions of dollars in weapons and equipment.

Brian talks about what they don’t tell you about Vietnam: the heat and the smell when you step off the plane, the pressure of leadership at a young age, the loyalty forged between soldiers, and the psychological weight that lingers long after the war ends.

He reflects on boot camp at Fort Bragg, flying into Cam Ranh Bay, trying (and failing) as a door gunner, and eventually being trusted to run weapons and supplies in a combat zone,  all while still a teenager.

Beyond the battlefield, Brian shares how those experiences shaped his later life as an actor, writer, and advocate for veterans, and how storytelling became a way to process trauma, honor fallen friends, and help others feel less alone.

This is a conversation about war, responsibility, memory, loyalty, and the things veterans are rarely asked but always remember.

🎖️ Thank you to Brian for trusting us with his story.

Brian Delate: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0216507/

Guardianangelsfilm.com

GUARDIAN ANGELS ~ reveals how the human angels on and of this world and those entities from another realm can guide and direct us. In 1973, a profound event in the form of a dream transformed Brian Delate’s life. Was it a close encounter? An Out-Of-Body experience? Or a visit from “The Great Beyond”? You decide.

After having served in the Vietnam War, the path after coming home was destructive, but real-life guardian angels intervened to guide him in a life-affirming direction. The dream came later, but its impact on his thinking and behavior would be forever. Especially, with the aftermath of the war and the suicide ideation that followed. So, Guardian Angels contains a life-affirming message, which is about living.

Step inside a powerful conversation with Vietnam Veteran Jim McCauley, who served in Special Forces during the Vietnam War. From jungle reconnaissance missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, to the harsh realities of combat, to surviving illness and loss, Jim shares experiences from the war that few people ever hear about, including:

► His first time in combat,► Recon and hatchet force operations► Life inside SOG (Studies and Observations Group)► Montagnard soldiers and cross-border missions► The trauma and danger of “friendly fire"► The emotional toll of losing teammates► Coming home after Vietnam► His reflections on politics, purpose, and what the war meant.

This episode goes far beyond history, it’s a first-hand perspective on courage, loss, survival, and the human cost of conflict.

In this episode, we sit down with Marv Hamilton, a Vietnam veteran whose story bridges courage, loss, grit, and a lifetime of perspective. From enlisting as a young man to carrying the weight of a machine gun in the thick of the Vietnam jungle, Marv shares what life was really like: the friendships, fear, humor, and moments that stay with you forever.He opens up about:

• What boot camp didn’t prepare him for
• What it feels like to step into combat for the first time
• The role of a machine gunner in Vietnam
• The emotional aftermath of war
• The resilience and gratitude that shaped the rest of his life

Download & Listen to Marv’s music.

Former fighter pilot Steve Murray joins us for one of the most captivating aviation conversations we’ve ever had. From pushing a Mirage to Mach 2, to navigating fuel warnings at 40,000 ft, to his first real combat strike over Mozambique — Steve shares the stories most people never hear about what it actually feels like to fly in war.

We dive into:* How he was rejected from pilot training three times* What it’s really like to dogfight at supersonic speeds* The unspoken “code” between fighter pilots* Life in the air squadron during the Rhodesian conflict* His transition from military jets to commercial airline flying* The passion for flying that’s carried him through every season of lifeIn this episode, Steve talks about his experiences flying some of the most iconic aircraft ever built, including:* Mirage III and Mirage F1 combat missions* Hawker Hunter operations and high-speed low-level flying* Supersonic runs at Mach 2* Helicopter work in the Alouette III during real wartime ops* Training and dogfighting in the SF-260* Airline flying on the 747, 707, and moreIf you love aviation, military history, or simply great storytelling from someone who’s lived an extraordinary life in the cockpit, this is an episode you won’t forget.

Check out Steve’s book: The Joy of Flyinghttps://www.amazon.com/Joy-Flying-Steve-Murray-ebook/dp/B091L5R7PR

In this episode of Curious Humanography, we sit down with Marine Corps veteran Richard Lemmons, who served two tours during the Vietnam War, including surviving a mortar blast during the Tet Offensive. Richard shares his journey from growing up in Utah, enlisting after his father’s passing, enduring boot camp, serving as a Fire Direction Control Marine, experiencing Operation Starlite, life at Chu Lai and Phu Loc, being wounded in 1968, and the long-term impacts of PTSD and recovery.