Matt Smith grew up on Long Island and joined Army ROTC at the University of Delaware in 1989. Four years later, he was commissioned as an officer. Smith was working in the private sector and serving in the Army National Guard when the 9/11 terrorist attacks were perpetrated by Al Qaeda in 2001. Over the next two decades, Smith would be leading soldiers into combat during the invasion of Iraq and on two deployments in Afghanistan.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Smith takes us through the rapid invasion in Iraq and how he first learned about improvised explosive devices. He also tells us about a bizarre and fascinating mission he and his men undertook in western Iraq.

Six years later, Smith served as a battalion commander in Afghanistan and saw the most intense combat of his career. He explains how the mission they trained for suddenly changed when they arrived, how he adjusted to the enemy strategically, and how he kept morale up despite deaths and serious injuries.

Finally, Smith tells us about the work he is doing now to prepare other veterans for a successful business career after they leave the military.

Ed Miklavic was one of 12 children and he ended up joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1940 because he tagged along with his brother and a friend to the Army recruiter. But Ed was better qualified than both of them. This was before the U.S. entered World War II, and the Army didn't even have a current uniform to give Miklavcic. Nonetheless, he headed out west for training and was stationed at Pearl Harbor's Wheeler Field leading up to the Japanese attacks on December 7, 1941.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Miklavcic tells us what his duties were before the attacks, how the attacks unfolded for him on December 7, and what he saw at Wheeler Field once the attacks were over.

Miklavcic also describes his service on Iwo Jima. He explains why he came ashore days later than expected, what he saw when he landed, and his assignment at the airfields. He shares what it was like trying to dig and build in the black ash sand of Iwo Jima and to deal with Japanese mortar attacks and nighttime raids. He also remembers the iconic flag raising atop Mount Suribachi.

Finally, Miklavcic stresses the importance of remembering the service and sacrifice of all who have fought, bled, and died for our nation.

William Keim joined the U.S. Merchant Marine in 1943 at the age of 17. He was called to active duty when he turned 18 years old that same year. For the next two years, he served as an oilerman on Liberty Ships in both the Atlantic and the Pacific theaters, transporting critical supplies and evading constant enemy efforts to sink their ships.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Keim tells all about the Liberty Ships and his role in keeping the engines running smoothly. He details the constant threat of German U-Boats in the North Atlantic, what the American vessels did to avoid getting sunk, and the horror of witnessing other ships getting hit without being able to help the souls on board.

He also explains what it was like for the ships to be strafed by German planes and also be the targets of buzz bombs while in port on Christmas 1944. 

Finally, Keim shares what it was like for the U.S. Merchant Marine veterans to receive the Congressional Gold Medal and long overdue recognition for their service.

Sydney Levit was 17 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Like most kids his age, he was eager to serve. In 1943, Levit was drafted into the U.S. Army and he soon had the opportunity to join the airborne, training as a paratrooper and also with gliders. He became part of the 17th Airborne Division.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Levit describes the rigorous training he went through as part of the airborne, including his first jump out of an airplane and learning how gliders work. He then explains how his unit spent months training in England, waiting to enter the fight. Their first action was at Malmedy and was both vicious and chaotic.

Levit details the logistical fight against the Germans at the Bulge and the separate struggle against the brutal and unrelenting cold that was also a daily fight to stay alive.

Then, Levit takes us into Operation Varsity, the massive airborne campaign designed to help the Allies cross the Rhine River. Yet, very few Americans are even aware of it.

Levit also shares memorable moments away from the fighting, including his interactions with prisoners, being stunned by the death of President Roosevelt, and being surprised when a Hollywood star just popped into his tent.

Ralph Gastelum grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and never experienced much of a winter before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. His first real winter would be spent in Korea in some of the most bitterly cold temperatures that American forces have ever experienced - at Chosin Reservoir in Korea.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Sgt. Gastelum recalls the Inchon Landing. He also explains what urban combat was like in those early days and along the front lines in more rural areas. He also tells us how he survived at Chosin Reservoir by playing dead as the Chinese attacked and how he later discovered which of his fellow Marines saved his life there.

Finally, Gastelum talks about his return trip to Korea decades and what the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial meant to him at the time of its dedication.

Handlon Tim "Bear" Handlon wanted to serve in the military after seeing the 9/11 terrorist attacks unfold on television. There was just one problem. He was only in eighth grade. After a football scholarship to Yale and a few years in the private sector, Handlon went to Navy Officer Candidate School with a goal of becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Handlon takes us through BUD/s training in great detail. He explains how 200 guys were whittled down to less than 20 within just a few weeks. He also reveals the toughest parts of Hell Week, the major challanges that came after Hell Week, and what he sees as the major difference between the guys who quit SEAL training and those who keep pushing on until the end.

Handlon also tells us about having to prove himself again after joining SEAL Team 2 and how he managed to run a business while fully immersed in his work as a SEAL. He also explains how his business looks to supports veterans both as employees and customers and how he uses some of his profits to retire the medical debt of service members.

Edward Byers became fascinated with the military - and Navy SEALs in particular - through books and movies in his younger years. He joined the U.S. Navy and, just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, began SEAL training. His service would then bring him face to face with our enemies on multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Byers takes us through the mentally and physically grueling experience of BUD/s training to become a SEAL and his deployments to Iraq. And Byers walks us through the harrowing and costly mission to rescue an American doctor that resulted in Byers receiving the military's highest honor.

Vaughn Collicott spent the first year of his life traveling in a covered wagon. Before he was 21 years old, he was helping to fire the guns of a Navy destroyer at German positions on the coast of Normandy. The very same day, his ship was hit and sunk in the English Channel.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Collicott takes us from the frigid confines of training at Great Lakes, Illinois, to D-Day, to serving in the Pacific during the final months of the war.

Collicott tells us about going though fire control training and then being assigned to the brand new USS Meredith. He explains what the Meredith's role was on D-Day and how it targeted and destroyed a troublesome German pillbox the next day.

But just hour later, the Meredith was struck and it slowly sunk. Collicott walks us through that harrowing experience in detail, including why he survived the blast, what he did immediately afterwards, the injuries he saw that day, and the moments that still haunt him.

Collicott then shares his experiences in Pacific aboard the USS Lanier, including the new jobs that he had and how he almost got left behind in Guam as the Lanier was pulling out of port.

Finally, he details his efforts later in life to correct the official history of the USS Meredith.

Joe "Peppy" Sciarra was drafted into the U.S. Army the day after he graduated from high school. All four boys in his family served during World War II. After basic training, Sciarra was assigned to the Army's 25th Infantry Division, known as "Tropic Lightning." He was then ordered to be part of a heavy weapons platoon operating 81 millimeter mortars. The weapon would be critical to the U.S. driving the Japanese off of 47 separate ridges on the island of Luzon in the Philippines over five months in 1945.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Sciarra explains how the 81 millimeter guns were operated and why he sees them as the decisive weapon at Luzon. He also tells us about a suprisingly easy landing at Luzon, but there would nothing easy after that. He details the Japanese weapons that took a significant toll on American forces, what it was like fighting uphill all the time, how the Japanese ambushed our soldiers, and how he ended up with with a promotion he didn't want.

Sciarra also takes us into the personal side of war, losing friends, and honoring the remains of the fallen. He also tells us about his harrowing journey to Japan for occupational duty and the serious illness he faced at the end of the war. But more than anything, Sciarra wants all Americans to appreciate the courage and sacrifice of the U.S. Army infantry in World War II and beyond.

Joseph Picard was a teenager when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Unlike some of his peers, Picard was neither excited to join the service nor dreading it. He just accepted that he would need to serve.

After completing basic training, Picard was assigned to the 552nd Field Artillery Battalion, working with the massive 240mm guns. The battalion was held out of D-Day operations and landed at Utah Beach in late June 1944.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Picard takes us through all the work involved in assembling and operating the 240mm guns. He also walks us from Utah Beach through the Battle for St. Lo and the Allied drive to Paris.

Picard also describes the devastating combat at the Battle of Aachen, losing his best friend in combat, and the chaos and bitter cold at the Battle of the Bulge.