David Murphy – Same Place, Different Welcome
David Murphy describes his experience as a 17-year old Marine being sent to Vietnam and how his arrival into the country differed from that of some of his fellow Marines.
Shaina Johns – The Calming Voice of Hope
After participating in JROTC in high school, Shaina Johns decides to join the Army Reserves against the wishes of her parents. She is deployed to Kuwait and, despite being trained as an MP, works as a radio operator the entire time, calling in 9-line medevacs and providing a calming voice of hope to those on […]
Donald DeVito – Life as a Spy
Dr. Donald DeVito reads from the Air Force history of his father, Donald Nicholas DeVito, who worked for the CIA as a spy and later in the boardroom at Pan Am.
Sena Lizenbee – Fighting for Those Who Fought
Sena Lizenbee describes joining the National Guard for the education benefits and eventually serving 20 years, working her way up to senior defense counsel for the Florida National Guard.
Tifany Hill – A Different Kind of Purple Heart
Tifany Hill describes the difficulty of working in the pediatric ward and not becoming attached to the young patients. She recounts her close connection with one young cancer patient and the joy she brought to her by dressing up as her favorite character, Barney.
Tifany Hill – Operation Snap, Crackle, Poop
Army combat medic Tifany Hill recalls her time on “poop detail” during Operation Desert Shield. She describes in detail the process of emptying the porta-potties and burning and stirring the contents in the desert heat.
Cynthia Bennett – Out on the Range
Former U.S. Navy Airman Cynthia Bennett describes working at the electronic warfare range in Ocala National Forest during the mid-1980s.
Ritaann Schultz – Yellow Shirt Cleared for Takeoff
In the mid-1970s, Ritaann Schultz breaks barriers for women in the Navy by working on an active P-3 flight line as an aviation boatswain’s mate handler, then gaining flight status and getting NATOPS qualified as a utility air crewman and instructor.
LCPL Clemon Alexander – KIA
Murial A. H. Kweyama remembers her younger brother LCPL Clemon Alexander, a U.S. Marine who was killed in action in a bomb blast in Lebanon in 1983. She describes the affect his death had on her and her family.