Ft. Bragg Stories Podcast

Tattoos have long been a hallmark of military service . Memorial tattoos , in particular, have a special place in the armed forces . Images inked on flesh can pay tribute to those who have served , salute the fallen, and help soldiers and their families commemorate life changing events.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Duskin served with the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg. During seven deployments over the course of 15 years, he and his wife Maggie established routines to cope with his absences and keep the lives of their three children running smoothly.

Joanna Nun ez's father, Joe Garcia, served two tours in Vietnam before retiring from the Army in the early 80 s. Growing up in Fayetteville , s he recalls her father was often distant and irritable, with dark mood swings that were hard to predict.

Many soldiers who decide to leave the military put their training to use in civil ian careers. James Quigg is no different, although his career choice is somewhat unusual. He's a professional mix ed martial arts fighter known as the Gentleman Brawler. "It can be pretty miserable to fight me, even if you're winning," said Quigg. "I'm not afraid of the fight." A wrestler since high school, Quigg was first introduced to mixed martial arts at West Point. He credits his training at the Combatives s

Sergeant Solomon Abanda proudly serves in the 82 nd A irborne Division at Fort Bragg , but his path to get there has been complicated. Born in Cameroon, Abanda came to the U.S. at 19 to study. A fter a series of mis steps, he found himself living on the streets in Los Ange l e s . He was homeless for two years before a chance encounter set his life on a different course. A man walked up to him one day and invited him to a party, telling him to get on a bus w aiting nearby. Abanda recalls

The Fourth of July is a big deal at Fort Bragg, where the annual concert and fireworks display regularly draw a crowd of 40,000. Danny Sheckles is a pyrotechnician with Pyro Shows, a Tennessee-based company that produces firework displays at Fort Bragg and throughout the southeast.

Lieutenant C olonel F r a n k M i l l er served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam before retiring to Fayetteville to run a grocery store in the late 60 s and early 70 s . The B oulevard Supermarket on Bragg Boulevard was a small mom- and- pop store catering to the many y oung G.I' s who cycled through Fort Bragg on their way to the Vietnam war.

Each year, the men and w omen of Fort Bragg celebrate All-American Week, a time to showcase the valor and pride of the 82 nd A irborne. But t he behind-the-scenes preparation is less glamo rous. The prior week is spent deep cleaning every inch of the 163 ,000- acre military installation , an annual chore known as Operation Clean Sweep.

Steven Moore has never served in the military, but for the past 16 years he's been serving the Fort Bragg community, specializing in the design of military challenge coins. More than just collectible tokens, the coins are a concrete way to commemorate shared service and personal achievement. Commanders award them with a solemn handshake, and soldiers often treasure them as keepsakes. “I’m told by the soldiers that they are highly coveted items, and gives them incentive to earn them,” Moore said.

At 94, retired Command Sergeant Major Kenneth “Rock” Merritt is something of a living legend in the Fort Bragg community. During World War II, Merritt was a young paratrooper with the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was one of thousands of soldiers who jumped into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. “The war into Normandy, I guess simply put, it was hell. That’s really what it was,” Merritt said.