Kaj Larsen did not follow the typical route to becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL. He was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy but left after two years to focus on playing water polo at the collegiate level. A few years later he enlisted in the Navy and immediately tried to get a slot in Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/s) training in Coronado, California. Those billets are not usually given to men who left Annapolis but Larsen managed to snag one after his lifeguarding skills made headlines. 

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Larsen explains his path to becoming a SEAL officer in more detail, his thoughts upon arriving at Coronado, and how the incredible intensity of the training started during the first hour of the very first day. 

Larsen also details the agony of "Hell Week," his most difficult moments during BUD/s, and what the seemingly ruthless instructors are trying to achieve through their relentless demands. Larsen also tells us what it was like being in the middle of this training when the 9/11 terrorist attacks struck the U.S.

Finally, Larsen reveals what his first combat experience was like and how SEAL gear and tactics have evolved since his time in combat as a result of new technologies and adapting to the tactics of our enemies. 

Military historian and author Carole Engle Avriett joins us to tell the powerful story of U.S. Navy Mess Attendant Charles Jackson French, which is told in her new book, Midnight in Ironbottom Sound: The Harrowing World War II Story of Heroism in the Shark-Infested Waters of Guadalcanal. 

Charles Jackson French was born into a poor family in the segregated south in 1919. Before turning 18 years old, French lost both of his parents and was hit by the Great Depression. In 1937, he joined the U.S. Navy. He later left the service but re-enlisted after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

French then served in the galley aboard the USS Gregory, an old World War I destroyer which was retrofitted to carry Marine Raiders into combat in the South Pacific.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Avriett tells us about the harrowing events of September 4-5, 1942, when the Gregory and its sister ship were spotted and sunk in Sealark Channel off of Guadalcanal. She explains what Charles Jackson French did for hours after the ship was fatally struck to save as many as 15 lives in those shark-filled waters. She also tells us about the powerful moment the following morning that French cherished until the day he died.

Avriett details the leadership of LCDR Harry Bauer, who commanded the USS Gregory on that fateful night and also demonstrated courage and selflessness under fire. And she takes us back to another devastating night in that same channel just a month earlier - the Battle of Savo Island - and how Sealark Channel became known as Ironbottom Sound.

Delmar Beard grew up near Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. But when it was time to join the military during World War II, he chose the Navy. Serving as a gunner aboard an LST, Beard made multiple landings during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Later, he did join the Army, and served for 22 years. He rose to the rank of command sergeant major and was deployed to both Korea and Vietnam.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Beard takes us from training to landing at Iwo Jima. He describes unloading the ship while Japanese bullets were whizzing around him and even fatally striking the sailor right next to him. He also tells us what he saw on the beach and in the hills and mountains above.

From there, Beard tells us about operating the 40mm double-barreled anti-aircraft guns during the relentless Japanese air raids and kamikaze missions against the U.S. fleet. Finally, he takes us to Vietnam. Beard explains his command over a series of gun batteries stretching from Quin Yon to the DMZ and some of the most difficult moments of his time there.

Nils Mockler joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17, only because they wouldn't let him join when he was 16. Upon enlisting in 1944, Mockler completed boot camp and was soon tapped as a combat intelligence scout. He also dabbled in explosives as you'll hear. After more training in Hawaii, Mockler and many other Marines left for Iwo Jima, where they would land in February 1945 and become part of one of the most vicious battles in the entire war.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Mockler takes us on board his ship as the battle plans were opened up and military planners thought Iwo Jima wold be a two-day mission. He also shares his experience coming ashore on D+1 and the fierce Japanese resistance he and the other Marines faces. 

Mockler also describes the battle-hardened unit he was attached to, the apprehension of sitting in his foxhole through the night in anticipation of Japanese attacks, and watching the cemetery of American service members grow far beyond what the battle planners could have imagined. And he describes the exhiliration of watching the American flag raised atop Mount Suribachi.

Wayne Fletcher joined the U.S. Army in September of 1949. In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, and just 16 months after enlisting, Fletcher found himself at war. He operated .50 caliber anti-aircraft guns mounted on half-tracks. With no real enemy threats coming from the air, Fletcher and his fellow gunners turned their weapons on enemy ground forces in support of Army infantry.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Fletcher gives us a good explanation of the guns and how he operated them and the brutal cold he dealt with after arriving in January 1951. Fletcher also shares some specific, intense moments in combat. And he reveals the stunning mindset change that came over him when engaging the enemy - and realizing either he would kill the enemy or the enemy would kill him.

Gregory "Matt" Dillon was required to enroll in ROTC at the University of Alabama. Upon graduation, he was required to give two years in the U.S. Army. He ended up serving 24 years, including three tours in Vietnam. He served as operations officer for then-Lt. Col. Hal Moore with the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division at the vicious battle of Landing Zone X-Ray in November 1965 

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Col. Dillon explains the events that led up to the Battle of Ia Drang, how the fighting began, the saga of the lost platoon, the enemy's relentless assault on the second day of the battle, and how American air power proved to be a descisive factor in winning the battle.

Dillon notes the heroism of the men who fought there and the tremendous leadership of Hal Moore. He also describes the actions in July 1969 that resulted in him receiving the Silver Star. And Dillon describes rescuing wounded men under heavy fire, the enemy AK-47 that he collected and thought he lost forever, and much more.

Charles Cram was 15 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Before he was old enough to join the military, he worked as a messenger and received word of an alleged Japanese attack on the west coast of the U.S. When he was 17, Cram joined the service. After boot camp he was assigned to corpsman training. Before long he was off to the Pacific and would see his first combat as an 18-year-old corpsman on Iwo Jima.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Cram tells about his corpsman training, intense simulated invasions on the coast of California, and landing at Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945.

Cram details the ebb and flow of combat, determining when he thought it was safe to give aid to the wounded, fighting a virtually invisible enemy as the Japanese attacked from caves on the island, joining the fight with the Marines, and how he was injured and evacuated during the fight.

February 2025 marks 80 years since the Battle of Iwo Jima. Don't miss the first-hand accounts of the heroes who were there.

Harry Stewart grew up with a love of flying and dreamed of becoming an airline pilot one day. But shortly after graduating high school, with the nation at war, Stewart found himself in in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

The military needed skilled pilots but would not let black and white personnel train or serve together. Stewart was sent to Tuskegee, Alabama, where he and other black pilots and crew members prepared to serve as fighter pilot escorts for American bombers over Europe.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Col. Stewart describes the training, his first experience in air combat, and the day he was credited with shooting down three German planes. He also shares the painful story of his wingman who was shot down over Europe.

Stewart also takes us into the historic performance of his team at the Air Force's Top Gun-style competition in 1949, the racism he faced in returning to civilian life, and the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen in transforming American society.

Col. Stewart died on February 2, 2025, at the age of 100. This interview was conducted at the 2018 American Veterans Center conference.

Allison Black surprised her family by deciding to enlist in the U.S. Air Force after high school. She did it to be part of a mission bigger than herself. After basic training, Black spent the next several years as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape - or SERE - instructor, teaching service members what to do if shot down, stuck behind enemy lines, or captured. 

After several years of that she became an officer in Air Force special operations and served as a navigator aboard an AC-130H gunship. Shortly after 9/11, she and her crew were deployed to Afghanistan.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Col. Black describes her life in SERE training, making the shift to special operations and the AC-130, what 9/11 was like for her, entering combat in Afghanistan, and how a famed Afghan ally ended up dubbing her "The Angel of Death."

Retiring in 2024, Black also reflects on the lessons she learned in 32 years of service and what she hopes others learned from her.

Jesse "Bud" Alley was born in Florida but grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. He joined Army ROTC while enrolled at Furman University. Not long after commissioning, he was assigned as a radio officer. After one more reassignment, his job was to make sure radios were in working order for the colonels in the new Air Cavalry Division.

Because of the radio work and other training, Alley had never gone through an infantry training course or even flown in a helicopter when he was deployed to Vietnam in 1965. Within months he would be in the midst of some of the most intense combat of the war.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Alley walks us through the buildup to the Battle of Ia Drang. He also explains what he saw upon arriving at Landing Zone X-Ray after the brutal combat there. Alley then takes through the grueling march from X-Ray to Landing Zone Albany and almost immediately entering combat there. He also details the hours enduring what he calls a killing zone, and holding a soldier named Garrett Lee in his arms while Lee took his final breaths.

Finally, Alley takes us on his journey to meet the family of Garrett Lee just two years ago and what that moment was like. He also tells about his trip back to Vietnam many years after the war.