Veterans Chronicles

Pete Walther joined the National Guard to help pay for college but soon realized he enjoyed the Guard much more than school. So he joined the regular U.S. Army and soon pursued Army Special Forces. He became highly trained in explosives and was assigned to Operational Detachment Alpha 595, also known as ODA 595. While still a fresh special operator, Al Qaeda terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. ODA 595 was soon deployed to Afghanistan.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Walther tells us about his journey into U.S. Army Special Forces, what took place between 9/11 and ODA 595's entry into Afghanistan in October 2001, and linking up with the Northern Alliance to fight the Taliban - on horseback.

Walther details how the horses were a huge help in taking the fight to the Taliban, how the overwhelming U.S. firepower left their Afghan allies in awe, what the fighting was like as they closed in on Mazar-i-Sharif, and what it took to force the final enemy forces out of the city. 

Finally, Walther reflects on 25 years since the mission that made "The Horse Soldiers" famous.

Samantha Hargrove joined the U.S. Air Force at the urging of her brother. After training, she soon specialized in combat communications. Hargrove was serving in South Korea when the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks struck our nation on September 11, 2001. Just 18 months later, she was in Iraq. After helping to set up a major communications center near Talil, an explosion caused a traumatic brain injury that would permanently impact her.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Hargrove tells us about her service in Korea and Iraq. She also describes what happened during the explosion that wounded her.

Hargrove then explains how she got much worse before she got better, why she was medically retired, the moment she knew she had to get help, and how programs through Wounded Warrior Project set her on the road to recovery.

Finally, Hargrove shares how she is helping other wounded warriors today.

Mark Nutsch was born into a family with a rich legacy of military service. He also grew up on Kansas farms and ranches around a lot of horses - experience that became very valuable years later. After exploring service in several branches, Nutsch pursued commissioning as an officer in the U.S. Army. Soon after that he was selected and qualified for U.S. Army Special Forces. 

Nutsch was already commander of Operational Detachment Alpha 595 when Al Qaeda terrorists attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001. Within weeks, ODA 595 would be among the first U.S. forces on the ground in Afghanistan and soon were widely known as the Horse Soldiers.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Nutsch walks us through his path to becoming an Army officer and how he valued the training it involved. He also tells us about his memories of the 9/11 attacks and immediately getting ready to go to war.

Nutsch also describes the harrowing helicopter flight into Afghanistan. meeting up with Afghan partner forces, and being shocked to find out they would be riding horses to take the fight to the Taliban.

Finally, Nutsch admits how much he ended up appreciating the horses and how ODA 595, the Afghan allies, and overwhelming U.S. air power crushed the Taliban in short order.

John Allen left college due to bad grades and repeated misconduct after just one semester. He needed direction and purpose. After speaking with two family friends who were high-ranking Navy SEALS, he decided that would be his goal. Allen finished college and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy to pursue the trident.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Allen takes us from a surprisingly tough Navy boot camp to Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL - or BUD/S - training. He explains what the SEAL instructors are really looking for during training, why passing pool comps is so tough, and why a top officer told Allen he would never want to serve with him.

Then, Allen tells us about his time in Afghanistan, including his April 2014 mission on which he almost died. He details the fighting in a village, spending hours under heavy fire, and how he was badly wounded.

Allen, who is widely known now as the podcaster and producer "Mr. Ballen," tells us what happened after he was evacuated and what his corpsman told him later about the day he was wounded.

You probably know the name Jack Carr as one of our most famous and talented novelists through The Terrninal List and other books in the James Reece series. Before his success as a writer, Carr spent two decades in the U.S. Navy, most of those as a U.S. Navy SEAL and he served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Carr explains how he wanted to become a Navy SEAL since he was seven years old and read about them in many different books. He also walks us through BUD/S training, why he never seriously thought of quitting, and the reason many candidates drop out long after Hell Week.

Carr also reveals how he heard about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, why he became an officer, and finally being deployed to Afghanistan. Then he takes us through two tours in Iraq, including tough fighting in Najaf and a CIA-connected assignment focused on deconfliction.

Finally, Carr details how he kept the mission and men front and center during his deployments.

Floyd Moreland grew up in Illinois in a family with a very distinguished service record. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 21-years-old because he "wanted to fight with the best." Moreland hated Marine Corps boot camp but enjoyed advanced infantry training. He later pursued USMC Sea School and deployed from the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown during his first deployment in Vietnam.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Moreland walks us through an early assignment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, just a few years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. He then takes on those Marine Detachment missions from the Yorktown and tells us what patrols in the jungles of Vietnam were like. And he shares his favorite part of that deployment - serving as part of the honor guard for actress and singer Ann-Margret when she came as part of a USO show.

Then, Moreland describes his second tour, in which he saw a lot of combat near the DMZ - places like Con Thien, Cam Lo, "The Rockpile," and Dong Ha. He also details what it was like being surrounded by the enemy at Con Thien for 30 days.

Finally, Moreland explains why he turned down a third tour of duty, the pain of being demonized in his own country, and why he would serve all over again.

In September 2001, U.S. Air Force General Richard Myers was Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. President George W. Bush had recently nominated him to be the next chairman. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Gen. Myers was on Capitol Hill meeting with a key senator when news came that an airplane had hit the World Trade Center. Moments later, after Al Qaeda terrorists flew a second plane into the towers, Myers and the rest of the world knew we were under attack.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Gen. Myers walks us through his day on 9/11, including his reaction to seeing the smoke pouring out of the Pentagon as he returned from Capitol Hill, the debate over whether to shoot down a civilian airliner if it was deemed a threat to lives on the ground, and event at the Pentagon after Pres. Bush's speech that evening.

Gen. Myers also takes us inside the national security meetings the day after 9/11 and the following weekend at Camp David and the hasty effort to assemble a military response to the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks.

Finally, Myers shares why he's so proud of the initial U.S. military response and what he hopes Americans think about as we mark 25 years since that horrific day.

Sal Cassano was born in New York City. He served in the U.S. Army and did a tour in Vietnam from 1966-1967, But even while he was serving overseas, plans were already in motion for him to become a New York City firefighter when he came home. In late 1969, Cassano joined the FDNY. By September 11, 2001, he was an assistant chief of operations overseeing Manhattan. He would finish his career as FDNY commissioner.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Cassano tells us about his service in Vietnam and becoming a firefighter. He also reveals how he first heard about the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks and why he knew instinctively after the first plane hit the World Trade Center that it was an act of terrorism.

Cassano also explains the grisly scene when arriving at the World Trade Center and the flurry of orders he was given when the South Tower came down. He also talks about going to the hospital, immediately returning to work, and finally rejoining his family after almost 48 hours away.

Later, Cassano details the challenges at Ground Zero and the sobering task of hiring many new firefighters after losing 343 in the World Trade Center. He also describes what President George W. Bush's visit to Ground Zero meant to the FDNY and what he hopes Americans will reflect upon 25 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Michael Hingson was hosting a training session in his offices on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001. As he reached for some paper, Hingson felt and heard a muffled explosion and the tower bent drastically before snapping back into place.

Of course, it was American Airlines Flight 11 crashing into the tower - the first of four planes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists as part of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.

Hingson was born blind but knew every inch of his office and the North Tower. Soon he, his guide dog, a colleague, and everyone else in their office began the long descent to the ground floor.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Hingson explains why he was so meticulously prepared for an emergency, how he quickly got a clue abut the cause of the explosion as soon as he entered the stairwell, and what it was like going down 78 floors with countless other people as the firefighters started to make their way up the stairs.

Hingson also shares escaping from the World Trade Center only to discover the South Tower was also on fire and what it was like getting caught in the dust storms from both towers collapsing to the ground near him.

Finally, Hingson details the fantastic performance of his guide dog, Roselle, that day and how his experience and Roselle's actions actually led to a career change as an author and public speaker.

Caster Salemi was 19 years old when Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He tried to enlist in the U.S. Navy but was rejected. After working in a facility producing Norden bombsights, he was finally drafted into the U.S. Army. While training in Paris, Texas, Salemi was assigned to the 251st Field Artillery Battalion in a communications role. He was part of a unit firing 105mm howitzers.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Salemi tells about arriving in New Guinea, which brought high temperatures, high humidity, and tropical diseases. 

Salemi then talks about his service in Luzon, Philippines, starting in January 1945 and  describes the "constant combat" against the Japanese, including one battle that lasted two months straight. He also recalls how relentless the Japanese were and how cruel they could be. He also shares how the Japanese disrupted his artillery communications efforts.

Finally, Salemi details the end of the war and how one of those tropical diseases sent him home earlier than expected - and right through a typhoon.