Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

QM2 Brett Jones joined the Navy in 1993 with the goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. Jones says he “wasn’t ready” the first time he went through SEAL training, and he did not complete the course. He came back and successfully completed the training on his second attempt.  Jones joined SEAL Team 8, the most active of all the SEAL teams, where he served abroad. Due to the covert nature of SEAL operations, Jones wasn’t able to share all the details of his engagements, but he does talk about missions in Iraq, and the pain of losing friends in combat. After almost being kicked out of the SEALs, Jones decided to leave voluntarily. He continued to serve as a member of the CIA, deploying to Iraq again and protecting high value individuals in “high threat environments”.  Jones is now a part time police officer in Alabama.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Private First Class Robert Earl Sechrist served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and pathfinder during World War II. As a Pathfinder, Secrist was one of the first men to parachute into France before the invasion of Normandy, tasked with guiding other Paratroopers to their landing zone. As he landed in France, Sechrist’s parachute got stuck in a hedgerow, and he immediately started taking fire from the Germans.  Editor’s Note: It’s unknown what rank Sechrist reached by retirement. All we know is that he was a Private First Class when he jumped into France on D-Day.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Major George Petrie served in the U.S. Army Special Forces in Vietnam. He was a member of MACV-SOG, and was the first soldier to hit the ground during the Son Tay Raid. MACV or “Military Assistance Command, Vietnam”, was a highly classified, multi-service special operations unit consisting in part of US Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, and CIA personnel in Vietnam. SOG, or “Studies and Observations Group”, was a subcomponent of MACV that provided on the ground intelligence to and conducted operations, including reconnaissance missions, evacuations, prisoner captures, and much more from control sites across Vietnam. In this interview, Petrie recounts Operation Ivory Coast (Son Tay Raid), a significant POW rescue operation.  Petrie also served in Panama and the Dominican Republic.  You can read more about Petrie here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sergeant Major Ben Hasley served in Korea and Vietnam as a medic. In this interview he tells the stories of his service in combat and in the aid tent.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Captain Gene Yu is a West Point graduate and served in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets). He was initially kicked out of SERE school for breaking protocol and ordering pizza during a training exercise- a story that garnered a lot of attention within the special forces community.  Yu was eventually permitted to finish his training, and he deployed to Korea, Japan, Iraq, and the Philippines in the 2000s. He also played a key role in planning Operation Ultimatum, an attempt to capture or kill top Abu Sayyaf operatives.  In 2013, a family friend of Yu’s named Evelyn Chang was kidnapped and held for ransom in the Philippines by Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group. Evelyn’s husband was killed in the ambush. Despite having separated from the military, Yu utilized his special forces skills, connections, and familiarity with Abu Sayyaf to rescue Evelyn. Thanks to his efforts, a group of 80 Abu Sayyaf terrorists, including three leaders, were taken out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lieutenant Colonel Howard Stidam served in World War II with the Marine Raiders, a special ops force that specialized in amphibious guerilla warfare.  In this interview, he recounts The Battle of Makin, the Long Patrol in Guadalcanal, and the Bougainville Campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Commander Bobby Reshad Jones served in the US Navy from 2001 to 2023. He attended the United State Naval Academy, where he played football, and graduated last in his class, making him the “Anchorman” per USNA tradition.  After shaking President George W. Bush’s hand at graduation, CDR Jones was so elated about successfully graduating that he hugged the president and accidentally lifted him into the air. Jones had this to say about the experience: “When my name was announced, I lost my mind because I had to work very hard to get back on track to graduate on time. I was just done playing football, didn't realize how light the President was, gave him a hug, didn't realize I had picked him up. The Secret Service was like, ‘What is he doing?’ I put him down and the President said, ‘Man, you're happy.’ I go, ‘Yes, sir, I am.’ I'll never forget what he said to me. He goes, ‘Look, man, no one cares about where you graduated.’ He goes, ‘I made C's at Yale and I'm President of the United States.’ So I was like, ‘That's a valid point.’” Photos of that moment went on to make headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Machinist Mate 2nd Class Martin Shew served on the USS Arizona, a battleship that suffered insurmountable damage during the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Shew was on his way back to the Arizona when the attack began. Before he could reach the ship, a Japanese bomb detonated the ship’s magazines, causing a massive explosion on board and dealing significant damage. If Shew had been at his post at the time of the explosion, he would have been killed. Seeing that the Arizona was unsalvageable, Shrew was enlisted to help fight fires along the shore for two hours. After that, he helped carry the dead and dying to a mess hall that was being used as an emergency hospital. Editor’s Note: Shew was a Machinist Mate 2nd Class at the time of the attack. It is unclear what rank he had reached by retirement.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Captain Frank Guidone served in World War II with the Marine Raiders, a special ops force that specialized in amphibious guerilla warfare.  In this interview, he recounts his service in the Solomon islands, including the Battle of Edson’s Ridge, the New Georgia campaign, and the Matanikau Offensive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Petty Officer Donald Gay Stratton was on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He directed four 5-inch guns before an armor-piercing bomb hit the ship, sending up a 600 ft wall of flame. Stratton suffered burns on nearly 60% of his body. “The skin on our arms just came off like big socks,” he recalls. After an escape into the water couldn’t be found, crew from another vessel tossed a rope to Stratton and his allies. They tied it to their ship and for 60ft, swung hand-over-hand to reach safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gregory “Pappy” Boyington was a legendary WWII fighter pilot. He is credited with destroying 28 Japanese aircraft, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor- but his legacy has been tainted by his abuse of alcohol and a historically inaccurate TV portrayal.  Today in a special episode of Warriors In Their Own Words, we’ll be hearing from two men who knew Boyington personally. Both Lieutenant Colonel Henry Bourgeois and Major J. Ned Corman served under Boyington as pilots in the famous Black Sheep Squadron, which operated in the Solomon islands during WWII. They both also reconnected with Boyington after the war, and got to see how he changed through his life.  To hear Bourgeois’ personal stories from his service, check out our episode titled “Inside the Black Sheep Squadron”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices