James Livingston entered the ROTC program when he entered college. A decade later, he was in Vietnam as a company commander, leading his fellow Marines into battle against the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong. His actions in the vicious 1968 battle of Dai Do would result in the Medal of Honor.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gen. Livingston takes us through the combat that day, in which his Marines were overwhelmingly outnumbered and were forced to fight hand-to-hand at times. Livingston also tells us how he led his men under heavy fire and details his three injuries that day, including the final wound that forced him to leave the battlefield.

Finally, Livingston tells us what it was like to receive the Medal of Honor and what the medal means to him today.

John Harris jumped at the chance to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II as soon as the demand was lifted that required two years of college. Soon Harris was in Florida, proving himself in the P-51 and being just one of nine in his flight class who didn't wash out.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles, Capt. Harris takes us with him to the China-Burma-India theater. He describes the mission that devastated the Japanese air forces in the area, what it was like to see pilots next to him get shot up or shot down, and what it was like living in India during the final months of the war.

Jim Downing joined the U.S. Navy in 1931 because the pay was very attractive at the depths of the Great Depression. After training he would be assigned to the brand new USS West Virginia, serving on 16-inch guns and as postmaster for the ship.

Ten years later, on December 7, 1941, Downing was at a meeting on shore at Pearl Harbor when word came that the Pacific Fleet was under attack.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Downing explains how he raced back to his ship, helped protect it from exploding and also took it upon himself to write to the families of the fallen from that horrible day.

Downing also tells us about the remainder of his Naval career and the amazing encounters he later had with the Japanese pilot who led the attack on Pearl Harbor.

At the time of this interview in 2017, Lt. Downing was 103 years old. At the time that made him the second oldest living American veteran of Pearl Harbor. He passed away the following year at 104 years old.

Walter "Joe" Marm joined the Army to avoid being drafted. Before long he was assigned to a brand new division training for a new type of warfare. It was called the 1st Cavalry Air Mobile Division. And instead of moving by jeep or troop transport trucks, the men in this division would arrive by helicopter. Soon the new approach would be tested in Vietnam.

In this edition, Col. Marm explains his role as a platoon commander in the division's fighting for Landing Zone X-Ray during the vicious battle of Ia Drang in November 1965. He describes the intense fight to rescue another platoon that had been separated from other U.S. forces, his platoon's assault on a North Vietnamese machine gun nest, his personal actions that would later result in him receiving the Medal of Honor, and the wounds that would require significant recuperation.

You may know Rob Riggle best as a very successful actor and comedian, but he is also a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps with three significant overseas deployments under his belt.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Riggle explains his unusual path of serving his nation while simultaneously pursuing a career in the arts and how his time in the Marine Corps turned out to be critical to realizing his dreams in the entertainment field. He also describes rescuing Americans and others during a civil war in Liberia and serving in Kosovo following the NATO air campaign to evict Serbia.

Riggle also takes us into his reserve duty in New York City following the 9/11 attacks and his subsequent deployment to Central Command and Afghanistan in late 2001. And he shares stories of performing for American forces at USO shows and how his experience helps him and other actors prepare for roles related to the military.

Finally, Riggle tells us why he loves hosting the American Veterans Center's "American Valor" television special each year.

Frank Weisser entered the U.S. Naval Academy focused on becoming a Navy SEAL. But his superior officers informed hum he would be of greater value as an aviator. Working his way up to flying F/A 18 Hornets after flight school, Weisser would go on to serve in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters before joining the elite Blue Angels and, more recently, serving as one of the pilots for "Top Gun: Maverick."

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Weisser (call sign "Walleye") shares his experience providing critical close air support for U.S. ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, what it's like to fly those precision maneuvers with no room for error with the Blue Angels, and what it was like to do some of the real flying for "Top Gun."

Richard Halferty was at college in Missouri when he learned that his brother had been killed while serving with the U.S. Army in Korea. As his parents' last surviving son, Halferty could be excused from military service but he refused to consider it.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles," Capt. Halferty discusses his service aboard the USS Yarnall, which pounded targets in Korea, his emotional return to Korea in 2010, and his tireless effort to bring Korean War vets the honor and recognition they are due.

Michael Peyton grew up in a family with a legacy of military service. As a young man he joined the Navy for one simple reason: he wanted to be a SEAL. In more than two decades that followed, Peyton and his fellow SEALs deployed four times to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Peyton describes the very rigorous SEAL training process and how he passed BUD/s training while learning to swim at the same time. He also takes us into his first combat experience, explains how SEAL teams operate so effectively, and the challenge of going from a SEAL team member to a team leader.

Finally, Peyton talks about his new organization, Tribe, Task and Purpose, which is designed specifically to help special operations veterans end their dependency on drugs and alcohol. For more information, visit tribetaskpurpose.org.

Pete Cannon joined the U.S. Army shortly after graduating from high school in 1965. Soon he was training to fly a variety of helicopters and two years later he was flying missions in Vietnam.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Cannon explains why he was able to master flying helicopters when many fixed wing pilots struggled greatly. He also describes the many different assignments he flew in theater, including medical evacuations, resupplying missions, ferrying high-ranking officers, and serving as a decoy pilot in missions to observe the enemy.

Cannon takes us through his role in response to the Tet Offensive and tremendous impact helicopters had against the North Vietnamese Army. He would be awarded the Bronze Star for his service during that response.

Both of Tom Harper's grandfathers served in the military and one of them later made a career out of repairing military helicopters in Florida. After seeing that world up close, Harper knew he wanted to join the military - although his future would be in ground forces. He finished basic training right before the 9/11 attacks and was ready and willing to be part of the fight that followed.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Harper takes us inside his first moments of combat in Afghanistan and then walks us through the December 2009 action there, where he and his men were wounded in a mortar assault. Only he and one other soldier were able to keep fighting and trying to hold off the enemy while waiting for air support. He also describes the events that led to his second Purple Heart, as his convoy in Afghanistan was struck by an IED in a kill zone.

Finally, Col. Harper, who is still on active duty, talks about his current duties trying to keep the military and members of Congress on the same page on the best policies for our military and national security.