Veterans Chronicles

Mike Ergo originally joined the U.S. Marine Corps to play his saxophone in the Marine Corps band. But a short time after joining the Corps in 2001, Ergo changed his mind and asked to be transferred to the infantry. Soon, the U.S. was at war in both Afghanistan and Iraq. After an uneventful first deployment to Iraq, Ergo returned in the summer of 2004 with A Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. A few months later, they were engaged in the vicious Second Battle of Fallujah in November and December of 2004.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ergo describes preparing to fight in Iraq, learning his company would be part of the fight for Fallujah, and what it's like to get the signal that you'e headed into battle.

Ergo also tells us about the intial successes of the Marines and how the insurgent resistance quickly fell into place. He also gives us great detail about the house-to-house fighting that characterized so much of the fighting in Fallujah.

He also shares the pain of losing close friends at different points in the battle and how resigning himself to the belief that he would be killed was actually freeing for him.

Finally, Ergo details how the fighting in Iraq stayed with him for years after the war, how he moved on, and how he is now helping other veterans.

Aaron Cunningham started thinking seriously about military service after watching Operation Desert Storm unfold in 1991, the year he graduated from high school. He began college without being sure of military service. Now, Col. Cunningham is retired after 29 years of service. But the service that he is most proud of is serving as commander of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, which included the Second Battle of Fallujah in November and December 2004.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Cunningham explains the various reasons he chose the Marines, how 9/11 changed the trajectory of his service, and how he trained Alpha Company for combat in Iraq.

He explains his responsibility for nearly 200 Marines and what was going through his mind on the eve of the battle. Then, Cunningham walks us through Alpha Company's entrance into the battle, the initial successes, and the enemy resistance which quickly emerged.

He also describes the house-to-house fighting, how he decentralized decision-making to platoon, squad, and team leaders, and his calmness under fire. He also describes the devastating losses of Lt. Dan Malcom and Lance Corporal Bradley Faircloth over the course of the battle.

Don't miss this powerful story of service as we approach the 20th anniversary of the fight for Fallujah.

Kenneth Wells was planning to join the U.S. Navy in World War II but the U.S. Marine Corps recruiter at the office told him he was joining the Marines instead. And so he did. His background as an athlete and working on the family farm helped Wells do well in boot camp. Soon he would be halfway around the world, fighting in some of the toughest combat in World War II on the island of Okinawa.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Wells explains how he did not end up getting deployed with his original unit - a confusing moment that he is now convinced saved his life. He also describes going ashore at Okinawa and finding no initial opposition, fighting a Japanese enemy he could not see, and how the Marines were able to get the upper hand. He also tells us about other enemies, namely fleas and the incessant rain.

Mr. Wells gives us a lot of detail about combat on Okinawa, the vicious fighting on Sugarloaf Hill, losing a close friend during that fight, and how he was wounded and removed from the fight more than two months after it started.

Vincent "Bill" Purple joined the U.S. Army Air Corps following the Japense attack on Pearl Harbor. Like most young men interested in joining the Air Corps, he wanted to be a fighter pilot. But the Army had different plans. Soon Purple was training on multi-engine planes in preparation for being a B-17 Bomber pilot. He was deployed to England as part of the 379th bomb group inside the Mighty Eighth Air Force and flew 35 missions.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Purple takes us along on a typical mission - from briefing to takeoff to dropping the bombs on Nazi targets in France and Germany. He also explains what it was like flying through intense enemy anti-aircraft fire, also known as flak.

Mr. Purple also gives us great detail on several of his most harrowing missions, including the time his engine caught fire and he thought he would be "blown out of the sky" to taking off in heavy fog with no visibility, to being struck in the chest with shrapnel as he flew.

Frank Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, when he was just 16 years old. Before long, he became one of the famed Marine Raiders. After deploying first to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Wright contracted malaria and had to spend time recovering. After that, he was part of Marine landings on many different islands in the Pacific, including Saipan, Guam, and Iwo Jima.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Wright shares his story of landing on Guam, fighting off Japanese Banzai charges, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat that would very likely be a fight to the death. Wright also takes us moment-by-moment through a hand-to-hand fight where he was stabbed by a bayonet and not only lived to tell about it, but kept fighting until Guam was secure.

In a future episode, we will bring you Frank Wright's story of service on Iwo Jima.

Clayton Hutmacher enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1978. Six years later he jumped at the chance to go to Army flight school and pursue a career in special operations. He would later see action in Panama, Desert Storm, and in both Iraq and Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Maj. Gen. Hutmacher shares his story of service, including what was required to become a special operations aviator and what his service entailed in Operation Just Cause in Panama. Months later, he was in the Saudi Arabian desert as part of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Hutmacher shares the details of his missions against critical targets in northern Iraq and why the combat was much more intense there than in Panama.

He also tells us about his service in Iraq and Afghanistan, how the theaters of operation were very different from one another, and why Iraq provided the most intense combat of his career.

Gen. Hutmacher also reveals how he kept in touch with the concerns of enlisted personnel as he rose up the chain of command and the challenges he faced as Director of Operations at U.S. Special Operations Command.

Finally, he tells about his work now at the Special Operations Warrior Foundation serving the children of fallen special operators and others.

In the first half of our conversation with retired U.S. Navy Commander Porter Halyburton, we learned about the day he was shot down over North Vietnam, how he was captured and tortured, and the bond he formed with fellow POW Fred Cherry. Today, Halyburton explains the biggest shock of all during his imprisonment, how the prisoners kept their morale up in worst possible conditions over the years, and how they finally got home.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Halyburton details how he found out that he was listed as killed in action and that his wife, family, and government all thought he was dead for about 18 months - and how that problem finally got straightened out. 

Halyburton also explains how the famous tap code developed, how they taught it to each other without being able to see or speak with one another in many cases, how they hid the true meaning of the code from the enemy, and how it built the prisoners into a close-knit community.

Halyburton also tells us how he figured out he might soon be free more than seven years after being taken prisoner. He shares what that long awaited day of freedom was like and the critical, difficult decisions he made while being released that helped immensely every day after that.

Porter Halyburton was born in Florida and grew up in North Carolina. After college, he got married and joined the U.S. Navy with a clear goal of becoming a naval aviator. He got his wish, flying the F-4. Shortly after becoming a new father, he was deployed to Vietnam in May of 1965. He wouldn't come home for more than seven years.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," you'll hear the first half of Porter Halyburton's story of being a pilot, being shot down, and the horrors he endured after being captured by the North Vietnamese.

He takes us moment by moment through his experience of being hit by enemy fire, his decision to eject, his futile effort to avoid capture, and what he experienced after becoming a POW.

Halyburton also explains how the clear training he went through in case he was captured was very helpful in some circumstances but unnecessarily burdensome in others. He also shares what he suffered for refusing to answer questions from his captors. And he details how the North Vietnamese tried to use racial politics to turn him and a fellow prisoner against one another - an enemy plan that backfired spectacularly.

In our next edition, you'll hear how Halyburton learned the U.S. government and his family thought he was killed in action, how the prisoners used the famous tap code to keep their hopes up, and how he finally came home.

Ron DiFrancesco moved to the New York City area in 2000 to take an investment job with a firm based in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. He was already at work on September 11, 2001, when the first plane hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists struck the North Tower. People working in the South Tower were immediately told their building was fine and they should continue working. Soon a friend called DiFrancesco and urged him to evacuate. Just moments after leaving the spot where he had been working, a wing from United Airlines Flight 175 sliced through the office.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," DiFrancesco describes the horrors of what he saw happening in the North Tower after it was struck and before the South Tower was hit. He then walks us through the impact of the jetliner hitting his building, the intitially futile efforts to get downstairs and the "voice" that guided him to an exit that could get him away from all the debilitating smoke. 

DiFrancesco tells us about getting to the lobby, where he was directed to go, and the last thing he remembers as the South Tower came down. Some experts later concluded he was likely the last person to get out of the World Trade Center alive.

He also discusses the injuries he suffered while getting out and the severe mental and emotional trauma that he and his family then endured for an extended time. DiFrancesco explains why he later decided to start speaking publicly about the horrific ordeal he endured.

In 2022, we presented the oral history of U.S. Marine Corps veteran Rob Riggle, who later became famous as an actor and comedian. Riggle told us all about his service in Kosovo and Afghanistan and how his time in the service was a huge asset in his pursuit of a career in show business. During that interview, Riggle also mentioned being a USMC reservist in Manhattan on 9/11 and working in the search and rescue operation at Ground Zero for a week after the terrorist attacks. 

Today, we hear that part of his story in much more detail.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Riggle takes us moment by moment through the 9/11 attacks, from wondering how such an airplane plane accident could happen to realizing our nation was under attack, and from what it was like on the stunned streets of New York City to getting notified that his unit was being called up to help at Ground Zero.

Riggle then describes the painstaking efforts to sift through six stories of rubble in hopes of finding survivors, the "bucket brigades" set up to prevent cave-ins, and how he nearly suffered a major injury during that time.

Finally, he explains how he then volunteered to go back on active duty - a decision that would have him in Afghanistan within just a few weeks.