Harrison Schmitt's father was a geologist but it wasn't until college thatSchmitt decided to follow in his dad's footsteps. By the mid-1960's, Schmitt had a Ph.D and was working at the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Center. Before long, NASA was looking for geologists to advise on the upcoming lunar missions. Schmitt then advised the Apollo 11 crew on what to look for and to bring home. And he also consulted with every subsequent mission. But before too long, NASA decided to send Scmitt himself to the moon and the rest is history - the only man to visit the moon who was not a military aviator.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Schmitt describes training in the T-38 and helicopters with the U.S. Air Force at Chandler AFB and why that training was so critical to his mission. He also tells us what it was like to blast off, walk on the moon, and take one of the most famous photos in history. He also tells us what he considers to be the most important geological discoveries from the Apollo missions.

Ray Hildreth joined the U.S. Marine Corps in an effort to shape up after a brush with the law as a teenager. He joined during the Vietnam War, never once thinking he would be sent overseas. But after a grueling basic training period, Marine recon training, and sniper school, he was soon on his way to Okinawa to prepare for service in Vietnam.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Hildreth explains how the Marines' legendary basic training prepared him well for what would soon follow. He then describes the patrol missions his platoon was assigned once they got to Vietnam. But the vast majority of Hildreth's story centers on the June 1966 battle for Hill 488. He explains how the fighting began, how it quickly intensified, and how he and his fellow Marines suffered many casualties while vastly outnumbered by the North Vietnamese Army soldiers there.

In incredible detail, Hildreth takes us moment by moment through the nighttime fighting and what he and the other Marines did to hold off the enemy and to help each other survive. He also tells how he twice took out an NVA machine gun position with just a rifle. Finally, Hildreth reflects on the tremendous cost required to hold the hill and why every American needs to know about the courage and sacrifice of the men he served with there.

Ramon "Tony" Nadal continued a proud family legacy when he was accepted into West Point after high school. Nadal's father was one the first Puerto Rican graduates of the U.S. Military Academy back in 1928. After his commissioning and officer training, Nadal quickly pursued special forces training with the Army Rangers and Pathfinders among others. Eventually that elite training made him an ideal choice to be a leader in a brand new type of air mobile warfare, which moved troops by helicopters instead of in trucks or on foot. In Vietnam, the air mobile concept would be put to the test.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Nadal takes us inside this cutting edge approach to warfare in the 1960's. He also takes us into the ferocious battle for Landing Zone X-Ray as part of the Battle of Ia Drang in November 1965, where he served as commander of A Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. Nadal explains the circumstances leading up to the battle, how then-Col. Hal Moore and the other officers responded to a U.S. platoon being cut off from other forces, being in the midst of intense combat, and how the Americans successfully fought off North Vietnamese forces with much larger numbers.

Don't miss this detailed reflection on a critical engagement in the early months of the Vietnam War.

David Marshall was 16 years old and lying in a New York hospital room after suffering a sports injury when he heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Upon turning seventeen the following year, he was drafted into the Army, intially trained as a medic before assigned as an engineer in the infantry - specifically the 84th Infantry Division. The unit deployed to England in September 1944 and came ashore in France at Omaha Beach some five months after D-Day.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," David Marshall takes us inside his first combat around the town of Geilenkirchen near the border of Germany and the Netherlands. He shares the powerful of the close friend who forced him to make a promise just before the fighting started.

He then takes to the Battle of the Bulge as his unit was suddenly ordered to confront the German offensive in the Ardennes. He explains how brutally cold it was there and what it took to defeat the enemy advance.

Marshall then describes further action in the Roer Valley, crossing the Rhine, and the horrific discovery of a Nazi slave labor camp.

Paul Cunningham graduated from high school in 1948 and had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. After some convincing from the local Air Force recruiter, he was off to train as a radar repairman. Just two years later, he was at war halfway around the world in Korea.

In this edition of "Veterans Chonicles," Cunningham describes his work assembling, repairing, and moving radar equipment as the conditions of the war changed. He explains the critical role that radar played in assisting the allies and spotting enemy planes long before they arrived.

Cunningham also describes the shock of assuming the war was nearly over in late 1950 only to see the Chinese pour into Korea and extend the war for another two-and-a-half years. He also tells us what Korea was like in the early 1950s, as so many there lived in abject poverty.

He contrasts that with his recent visit back to Korea and that stunning differences he saw there thanks to the freedom the South Koreans enjoy as a result of the sacrifices made by the U.S. and our allies. He also stresses the enduring gratitude of the South Korean people towards those who liberated them.

Finally, Cunningham, who later became a history teacher, stresses the need to teach our kids about the Korean War, why it happened, and the aftermath that impacts us to this day.

Giovanni Renteria was in New York City undergoing training for Morgan Stanley in their offices inside the South Tower of the World Trade Center. On day two of the three-week program, Renteria and his colleagues finished their first session early. He and another employee headed downstairs for some coffee. While down there, they saw the debris falling after the first airliner struck the North Tower. Told by security that everything in the North Tower was fine and they should return to the office, Renteria and his colleague weren't so sure. It was then that the second plane hit the tower he was in.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Renteria walks us through that entire, horrible day. He explains the unlikely encounter that prevented him from going back upstairs, running from the building after the second plane struck, and watching people surrounded by flames on the upper floors choose to leap to their deaths. He also describes his response to the collapse of the towers and not knowing what happened to the rest of his colleagues. He also shares what that day taught him after more than two decades of reflection.

Joe Mantegna grew up around multiple family members who were combat veterans of World War II. He tried to become a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War but was dismissed due to poor eyesight. But for more than 20 years, Mantegna has been a very active supporter of our active duty military, veterans, and families of the fallen. Since 2002, he has been a part of the National Memorial Day Concert, serving almost all of those years as a host or co-host alongside fellow veterans advocate Gary Sinise.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Mantegna shares his story from growing up in Chicago to becoming a successful actor on stage and screen. He also explains how his understanding of Memorial Day changed drastically once he was asked to be a part of the concert. Mantegna also tells us how the powerful stories that get presented each year are chosen and what it is like to share such emotional moments in front of the families who lived it and often lost their loved ones.

You may know him best as country music star Craig Morgan. But for 17 years, including 10 years on active duty, Craig Morgan Greer served our nation in the U.S. Army. He spent time with both the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. Morgan is also a veteran of Operation Just Cause, the U.S. mission in Panama in December 1989.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Morgan shares why he joined the Army and his determination to serve a cause much bigger than himself. He takes us into his time as a long-range artillery observer, learning to jump or rappel out of an aircraft, and serving on clandestine missions.

He also talks a great deal about his service in Panama, including having to take on more responsibility when his supreior was shot, mistakenly jumping out of his helicopter 20 feet off the ground, and being in combat for the first time.

Then Morgan tells us about deciding between a very realistic track to become Sergeant Major of the Army and pursuing a country music career. He also shares how his music left a powerful impact on active duty forces and veterans - and actually helped to save lives.

Finally, Morgan ends the interview with a big announcement. Don't miss it!

Frank Blount was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1960 upon graduation from Florida State University and completion of its ROTC program. Over the next 20 years, Blount would pilot planes carrying everyone from the President of the United States to heroes of our space program to precocious kids. He would also see intense action as a gunship pilot in Vietnam.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Blount takes us through his early days as a Super Constellation pilot and some of the unusual circumstances he faced in that role. He then tells us about changing to the C-130 and flying through 18 typhoons in East Asia before returning to the U.S., where he flew the Apollo 13 crew to Washington after the dramatic conclusion of that mission. He also flew the president and vice-president as a pilot of Boeing 707's commonly known as Air Force One and Air Force Two.

Finally, he describes rejecting an assignment stateside in order to fly an AC-130 gunship in Vietnam. Blount takes us inside the intensity of that combat, being close to one of the rare gunship disasters of the war, and flying a mission after the war was officially over.

Charlie Plumb ended up in the U.S. Navy because money was tight for his family and it was a big economic relief when he was recommended and accepted at the U.S. Naval Academy. Upon commissioning from Annapolis and competion of flight school, Plumb would soon be flying an F-4. Little did he know what awaited him just a few years later in Vietnam.

Plumb was deployed to the war zone in November 1966. He routinely flew missions over North Vietnam, including Hanoi, which he says was the most heavily protected city in the world at that time. On each mission, he came under fire in a variety of forms.

In May 1967, Plumb was shot down by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) and taken prisoner. He was soon held prisoner at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton."

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Captain Plumb recounts his memories of being shot down, his remarkable prayer while parachuting into enemy territory, the brutal torture and deprivation in the prison, and how the U.S. POW's kept each other going. Finally, he shares what it was like to breathe as a free man after nearly six years of captivity.