Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

Colonel Vito S. Pedone served in World War II as a Pathfinder Pilot. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the paratrooper fleet into the correct landing zones. Since they were often the first soldiers sent across enemy lines, this was an incredibly dangerous job. As a Pathfinder Pilot, it was Pedone’s job to fly the Pathfinders into enemy territory.

On D-Day, Pedone co-piloted the lead Pathfinder plane. During the flight over, he leaned forward and stuck his head out the window to check the weather, making him technically the first man to enter France that day. 

You can learn more about Pedone here.

Make sure to check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel, where we’ve combined the incredible stories you hear on this show every week with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries.

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1st Sergeant Bill Lumsden served in World War II as a Paratrooper and Pathfinder. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the paratrooper fleet into the correct landing zones. Since they were often the first soldiers sent across enemy lines, this was an incredibly dangerous job. As a Pathfinder Pilot, it was Pedone’s job to fly the Pathfinders into enemy territory.

Lumsden parachuted into enemy territory ahead of the Invasion of France, but was heavily injured after a hard landing and a skirmish with a German soldier.

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Private First Class John Agnew served in World War II as a Paratrooper and Pathfinder. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the paratrooper fleet into the correct landing zones. Since they were often the first soldiers sent across enemy lines, this was an incredibly dangerous job. As a Pathfinder Pilot, it was Pedone’s job to fly the Pathfinders into enemy territory.

Agnew parachuted into Normandy on D-Day as a member of the Filthy Thirteen, a paratrooper demolition squad that became notorious for their insubordination and their signature look, that included Native American style warpaint and mohawks. They later inspired the movie The Dirty Dozen.

Out of 20 men, Agnew was one of four from his unit that survived D-Day.

Agnew, along with half of the surviving members of the Filthy Thirteen, joined the Pathfinders. He fought in the Siege of Bastogne, the Rhine River Crossings, and Operation Market Garden with the Pathfinders. He later also served in Vietnam.

In this interview, Agnew describes the Siege of Bastogne and The Filthy Thirteen. 

Learn more about Agnew here.

Check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel to see incredible stories like this combined with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries.

Editor’s Note: ‘Private First Class’ refers to Agnew’s rank during the Siege of Bastogne. His rank by the time of his retirement is unknown.

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Rear Admiral Michael Smith first served as a nuclear engineer in the Navy. After his first tour, he attended graduate school in order to qualify for command. He first gained command of the USS Porter (a destroyer) in 2005.

Check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel to see incredible stories like this combined with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries.

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Lieutenant Colonel Greg Wilson served in Vietnam & Laos as a Forward Air Controller. As a Forward Air Controller, it was his job to coordinate airstrikes, and ensure that no friendly troops were hit. After less than six months in Vietnam, he joined the classified Steve Canyon Program (Project 404), also known as the Ravens. 

Laos was technically neutral during the Vietnam war, and no foreign troops were supposed to be in the country. Nonetheless, the North Vietnamese continued to use Laos in order to import supplies via the Ho Chi Minh trail. Needing to stop the flow of enemy supplies, the USAF began secret airborne operations, targeting enemy vehicles, ground troops, and weapon systems. 

The Raven program was eventually developed in order to better execute these operations. Raven pilots wore civilian clothes, and their job was to mark targets with smoke rockets, and direct air strikes onto them. 

In this interview, Lt Col Wilson talks about his experience as a FAC and a Raven. He tells this story about first joining the Ravens:

“So, I went out for a flight with one of the Ravens, Erik Erikson, and he was in the backseat…He gave me a set of coordinates. I said, ‘Well, there's got to be something. There's got to be a trick here, because this coordinate is right in the middle of a map. I don't have to piece them together.’ So, I flew to those coordinates, and he said, ‘What do you see down there?’ So, I looked down and I said, ‘Well, it looks like a crashed 0-1.’ He said, ‘You're right. What else do you see down there?’ I said, ‘Well, I can't be sure, but I'd say that it looks like skeletal remains.’ And he said, ‘You're right again. You're his replacement.’

So, that was kind of my wakeup call that they figured I was a rookie. And they also, wanted to let me know that this was the real game, that there was threat here. And that if you were shot down in this environment, you were not going to be captured, you were not going to be a POW, you were going to be a fatality.”

Learn more about Wilson here.

Check out the Documentary.tv YouTube Channel to see incredible stories like this combined with rare, authentic battlefield footage to create riveting film documentaries.

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Signalman 2nd Class Don Carter served on the USS Guadalcanal in World War II. The ship hunted U-Boats, which had terrorized American convoys in the Atlantic. As a signalman, it was his job to use flags and lights to send messages to other vessels. 

On June 4th, 1944, the Guadalcanal spotted and captured U-Boat 505, the only one obtained by the U.S. Navy during the entire war. The information gained by its capture, namely the captain’s code book, was crucial to the war effort. This success was kept top secret, and the public only learned about it after the war. 

LTJG Albert L. David was awarded the Medal of Honor for securing the sensitive materials that day. 

U-505 was transported back to the U.S., and now sits at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Carter’s pistol is also on display at the museum. 

Editor’s Note: Carter’s rank at the time of his retirement is unknown. Signalman 2nd Class reflects his rank at the time of U-505’s capture.

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Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Pace served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. He first deployed to Afghanistan at the beginning of the War on Terror as an infantryman, then redeployed to Afghanistan in ‘03. After attending officer candidate school, Pace then deployed to Iraq as a company executive officer in ‘07. 

Pace then decided to join the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets). He did work in places like Colombia, Peru, Europe and Central America, doing foreign internal defense before returning to Afghanistan in 2019 as a part of Special Operation Forces. There, he oversaw drone warfare.

In this interview, Pace talks about his deployment to Iraq, joining the Green Berets, and the horrors of drone warfare: 

“I started to feel like I was running some kind of weird factory, where our product was human tragedies, where we're just blowing up these people over and over, we're just watching it night after night. And it started to bother me, but it did achieve its desired effect. It did achieve its impact. Again, it's a very effective way to do business.” 

Click here to check out Two Weeks In Hell, the Discovery Channel show about the Green Beret’s training which features LTC Pace. 

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Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Pace served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. He first deployed to Afghanistan at the beginning of the War on Terror as an infantryman, then redeployed to Afghanistan in ‘03. After attending officer candidate school, Pace then deployed to Iraq as a company executive officer in ‘07. 

Pace then decided to join the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets). He did work in places like Colombia, Peru, Europe and Central America, doing foreign internal defense before returning to Afghanistan in 2019 as a part of Special Operation Forces. There, he oversaw drone warfare.

In this interview, Pace talks about his first two deployments, explaining the intense lead-up, the reality of the situation, moral difficulties, and the difficulties they faced.

Next time on Warriors In Their Own Words, we’ll hear the rest of Pace’s story, where he talks about his deployment to Iraq, joining the Green Berets, and the horrors of drone warfare. 

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Lieutenant General John Norton served in the US Army as a Pathfinder and paratrooper during World War II. He commanded the 505 regimental combat team and completed four jumps during the war, including during the Invasion of Sicily, the Invasion of Italy, the Invasion of Normandy, and Operation Market Garden. He also participated in the Battle of the Bulge. 

In this interview, Norton recounts his jumps while explaining the inception and development of the Pathfinders.

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Lawrence Araujo served in Vietnam as an Army Medic. He arrived in Vietnam three weeks after the 1968 Tet Offensive, and spent a year with the infantry as a medic. He then decided to extend his tour, and chose to work in the emergency room at the 93rd Evac Hospital in Long Bhin.

Editor’s Note: Araujo’s rank at the time of his retirement is unknown. 

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