Frank Athanason wanted to join the Navy in 1945, but when the two men in front of him passed out from receiving shots in the arm and he didn't, he was assigned to the Army instead. Over the next 32 years, Athanason would serve in three wars, be deployed to Korea and Vietnam and have critical roles in two other international crises.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Athanason takes us into his as an artillery officer and describes the action that earned him a Silver Star and a Purple Heart in Korea. He also describes his two tours in Vietnam, being held prisoner for six weeks in communist East Germany in the 1950's and his role during the Cyprus crisis between Greece and Turkey in the 1970's.