Best Andrew Hilbert Podcasts (2025)

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LCDR Ed Hiner, U.S. Navy SEAL, Iraq, Afghanistan 35:25

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3d ago35:25

35:25

Ed Hiner had no intention of joining the military until a friend's father forced him to help a military family in need. During that experience, Hiner met a Navy SEAL, learned about what the SEALs do, and immediately knew that's what he wanted to do with his life. Hiner joined the Navy, qualified for BUD/s training, and was one of just 10 SEAL candi…

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Lieutenant (J.G.) Patrick Zilliacus, U.S. Navy, World War II 35:46

10d ago35:46

35:46

Patrick Zilliacus was born in Finland and came to the U.S. when his father became the Finnish military attache in Washington, primarily to procure weapons for Finland's war with Russia. Left on his own in the U.S. at age 16, Zilliacus worked in a steel mill before joining the U.S. Navy in 1943. He was assigned as a torpedo man on a brand new submar…

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Lt Gen. Marc Sasseville, USAF, Air National Guard, 9/11, Iraq 35:55

17d ago35:55

35:55

Ltt Gen. Marc Sasseville was born into an Air Force family and that played a significant role in his decision to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and become an Air Force officer. After 14 years on active duty, Sasseville shifted to the Air National Guard in 1999 and also became a commercial airline pilot. On September 11, 2001, Sasseville was serv…

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Andrew Card, Chief of Staff for Pres. George W. Bush, 9/11 Terrorist Attacks 40:34

24d ago40:34

40:34

Andrew Card served more than five years as White House Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush. Less than eight months into Bush's first term, Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four U.S. airliners. Two were flown into each of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Another was used to crash into the Pentagon. The fourth plane was headed to Washin…

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Timothy Brown, FDNY, 9/11, South Tower World Trade Center 35:45

1M ago35:45

35:45

Timothy Brown was serving as supervisor of field operations in New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's office of emergency management on September 11, 2001. He was already at work near the World Trade Center when terrorists flew the first plane into the North Tower. He was in the lobby of that building when he got word that a second plane controlled by…

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MAJ Christopher Brewer, U.S. Army Special Forces, Colombia, Panama 35:54

1M ago35:54

35:54

Christopher Brewer grew up as an Army brat and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1973 because he wanted to be a Ranger. Even though he had never jumped out of a plane prior to joining the Army, Brewer learned quickly and passed the rest of his training to become a Ranger. He later took on and successfully completed intense training while serving oversea…

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SMSgt. Tom Young, Air National Guard, Iraq, Afghanistan, 'The Mapmaker' 41:13

1M ago41:13

41:13

Tom Young grew up on his family's farm in North Carolina. From a young age he was fascinated by his grandfather's stories of being part of a bomber crew during World War II. That helped to spark his interest in both flying and in service. Young served in the Maryland and West Virginia Air National Guard, serving as flight engineer for C-130 Hercule…

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PFC Hilbert Margol, U.S. Army, World War II, Dachau Liberation 35:41

2M ago35:41

35:41

Hilbert Margol was the first of twin boys born to his parents in February 1924. He was nearly finished with high school when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Soon, Margol and his brother, Howard, were in the Army, training on 105 mm howitzers with the 42nd Infantry Division. They saw their first combat in southern France in J…

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CPL Walter Stitt, Jr., U.S. Army, World War II, Battle of the Bulge 28:02

2M ago28:02

28:02

Walter Stitt, Jr. was a senior in high school when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He and his friends all assumed they'd be drafted. When that did not happen right away, Stitt enlisted in the Army. He was eventually assigned as a gunner for a tank crew in E company, 33rd armored regiment, 3rd armored division and joined the …

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T5 Alan Kinder, U.S. Army, World War II, Battle of the Bulge 35:54

2M ago35:54

35:54

Alan Kinder was waiting to be drafted into the military during World War II, but when he arrived at the Army recruiter, he was told his eyesight was too poor. The next time he tried to join, his eyesight wasn't any better. This time, the Army took him anyway. Kinder was trained in sound ranging as part of the 14th Field Artillery Observation Battal…

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Sgt. Hal Urban, U.S. Army, World War II, Battle of the Bulge, Mauthausen Liberation 35:20

2M ago35:20

35:20

Hal Urban grew up in a poor family hit hard by the Great Depression. Joining the military meant he would finally get three meals per day. He enlisted in the Army hoping to become a pilot, but less than perfect eyesight scuttled those dreams. He was trained on .50 caliber guns mounted on haltracks to protect American tanks and other convoys. Assigne…

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The Miracle Files: Stolen From Her Bed: Bella's Abduction 26:39

3M ago26:39

26:39

Join Emily Jones and Holly Worthington as they dive into this heart wrenching story of a child abduction. Five-year-old Bella was taken by someone her family trusted — a man they never expected, their father's roommate: Bill Mix. In a matter of moments, a normal day turned into every parent’s worst nightmare. As the Amber Alert spread across Califo…

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CPT Kelly Elminger, U.S. Army, Iraq, Afghanistan, Paralympics 48:41

3M ago48:41

48:41

Kelly Elmlinger was a three-sport athlete in high school. She excelled in cross country, basketball, and track. After considering military service, she decided to keep playing sports at the next level, but she quickly decided college was not for her. That's when she joined the Army and became a combat medic, eventually with the 82nd Airborne Divisi…

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Louis Bourgault, USMC, WWII, Iwo Jima, Bougainville 33:54

3M ago33:54

33:54

Louis Bourgault was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor - too young to formally join the military. After his father rejected a teenage plot to go join the Canadian forces, Bourgault enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps when he turned 17. After grueling basic training at Parris Island, Bourgault was tapped as a message runner. He was s…

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LtCol Doug Bahrns, USMC, Iraq, Afghanistan, Battle of Fallujah 35:58

3M ago35:58

35:58

Doug Bahrns knew he wanted to be a U.S. Marine Corps officer when he finished high school a couple of years before 9/11. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer. After going to officer's training at Quantico, Bahrns was assigned command of 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine…

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SGT Scotty Hasting, U.S. Army, Afghanistan, Purple Heart 35:26

3M ago35:26

35:26

Scotty Hasting is now a popular country music singer but his story of service will explain a lot about the performer you see today. Hasting grew up in the Cincinnati, Ohio-Northern Kentucky area and developed immense respect for the U.S. military from the movies and television shows he watched. He enlisted in the Army at age 21, which quickly made …

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PO2 Bob Ingram, U.S. Navy Corpsman, Vietnam, Medal of Honor 35:37

4M ago35:37

35:37

Bob Ingram joined the Navy after graduating high school in 1963 to give himself some direction. He was initially assigned to work in electronics, but after getting a bad case of pneumonia, Ingram was so impressed by the dedication of the Navy corpsmen, that he decided to become one. Corpsman training was long and demanding and Marine Corps aid trai…

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CPL Harold Terens, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II 33:55

4M ago33:55

33:55

Harold Terens was just 18 years old and playing basketball with his friends when he heard the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Like many Americans, he had no idea where Pearl Harbor was but he definitely wanted to serve. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 with dreams of becoming a pilot. A vision test dashed those dreams but he q…

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Captain Charles Plumb, U.S. Navy, Vietnam, POW 37:09

4M ago37:09

37:09

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. Pl…

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Kathleen Faircloth, Gold Star Mother of USMC LCpl. Bradley Faircloth 35:46

4M ago35:46

35:46

Kathleen Faircloth received the news that no parent wants to get. In late November 2004, she learned that her son, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Bradley Faircloth, was killed during the Second Battle of Fallujah in Iraq. What followed was the anguish over losing her only child, slowly emerging from the immense grief that followed, and the unexpe…

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1LT Doug Greenlaw, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Silver Star 40:25

5M ago40:25

40:25

Doug Greenlaw sees his life as a series of "lightning strikes." He was literally struck by lightning when he was 13 years old, thankfully making an immediate recovery. He later left Indiana University to join the Army, become an officer, and serve in in the Vietnam War - first as a platoon commander and then as a company commander. He arrived in Vi…

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S/Sgt Melvin Hurwitz, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II 31:31

5M ago31:31

31:31

Melvin Hurwirz was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Within just a few years, all four boys in his family were at war, each in a different branch of the service. After enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Hurwitz was assigned as a gunner and as a radio man for a B-17 bomber crew after an aptitude test showed…

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Col. Anthony Wood, USMC, Vietnam, Evacuation of Saigon 38:00

5M ago38:00

38:00

Anthony "Tony" Wood grew up in a Marine Corps family and enlisted to begin his own service in 1964. Before long he was commissioned as a USMC officer. His first deployment to Vietnam came shortly after the Tet Offensive. Initially trained as an infantry platoon commander, he soon found himself leading an armored platoon. Wood was deployed to Vietna…

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Capt. Sarah Spradlin, USMC, Special Operations Command 35:13

5M ago35:13

35:13

Sarah Spradlin knew she wanted to serve her nation in uniform, and to her the only option was the U.S. Marine Corps. She was commissioned as an officer after completing ROTC training at Virginia Tech in May 2001. Within months, the U.S. was at war following the 9/11 attacks. But Spradlin was not deployed to a war zone. After an assignment in Okinaw…

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SFC James Thompson, U.S. Army Buffalo Soldiers, Korea 32:06

5M ago32:06

32:06

James Thompson joined the U.S. Army in 1948, in part to avoid the consequences for his troubled behavior. Soon he was off to segregated training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Within a few months, Thompson was deployed to Europe, where he and the other troops were able to gain valuable training experience. The deployment was cut short, forces were brought…

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Lt. Col. Bruce McKenty, U.S. Army, Vietnam 35:22

6M ago35:22

35:22

Bruce McKenty was born into an Army family, as his father was a career officer. By the time he finished high school, McKenty knew he wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps. He was commissioned as an officer upon graduation from Texas A&M and soon went to flight training. After completing flight school in April 1972, McKenty was assigned to fly AH-…

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LCDR Kaj Larsen, U.S. Navy SEAL, BUD/s Training, War on Terrorism 34:57

6M ago34:57

34:57

Kaj Larsen did not follow the typical route to becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL. He was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy but left after two years to focus on playing water polo at the collegiate level. A few years later he enlisted in the Navy and immediately tried to get a slot in Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/s) training in Coronado, Californi…

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Carole Engle Avriett, 'Midnight in Ironbottom Sound,' Guadalcanal 35:26

6M ago35:26

35:26

Military historian and author Carole Engle Avriett joins us to tell the powerful story of U.S. Navy Mess Attendant Charles Jackson French, which is told in her new book, Midnight in Ironbottom Sound: The Harrowing World War II Story of Heroism in the Shark-Infested Waters of Guadalcanal. Charles Jackson French was born into a poor family in the seg…

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Delmar Beard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, World War II, Korea, Vietnam 35:37

6M ago35:37

35:37

Delmar Beard grew up near Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. But when it was time to join the military during World War II, he chose the Navy. Serving as a gunner aboard an LST, Beard made multiple landings during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Later, he did join the Army, and served for 22 years. He rose to the rank of command sergeant major and was…

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Cpl. Nils Mockler, USMC, World War II, Iwo Jima 35:58

7M ago35:58

35:58

Nils Mockler joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17, only because they wouldn't let him join when he was 16. Upon enlisting in 1944, Mockler completed boot camp and was soon tapped as a combat intelligence scout. He also dabbled in explosives as you'll hear. After more training in Hawaii, Mockler and many other Marines left for Iwo Jima, whe…

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Cpl. Wayne Fletcher, U.S. Army, Korea 24:38

7M ago24:38

24:38

Wayne Fletcher joined the U.S. Army in September of 1949. In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, and just 16 months after enlisting, Fletcher found himself at war. He operated .50 caliber anti-aircraft guns mounted on half-tracks. With no real enemy threats coming from the air, Fletcher and his fellow gunners turned their weapons on enemy g…

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Col. Gregory 'Matt' Dillon, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Battle of Ia Drang 40:16

7M ago40:16

40:16

Gregory "Matt" Dillon was required to enroll in ROTC at the University of Alabama. Upon graduation, he was required to give two years in the U.S. Army. He ended up serving 24 years, including three tours in Vietnam. He served as operations officer for then-Lt. Col. Hal Moore with the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division at the vicio…

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PHM2 Charles Cram, U.S. Navy Corpsman, World War II, Iwo Jima 32:24

7M ago32:24

32:24

Charles Cram was 15 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Before he was old enough to join the military, he worked as a messenger and received word of an alleged Japanese attack on the west coast of the U.S. When he was 17, Cram joined the service. After boot camp he was assigned to corpsman training. Before long he was off to the Paci…

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Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, USAF, World War II, Tuskegee Airman, 'Top Gun' 25:58

8M ago25:58

25:58

Harry Stewart grew up with a love of flying and dreamed of becoming an airline pilot one day. But shortly after graduating high school, with the nation at war, Stewart found himself in in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The military needed skilled pilots but would not let black and white personnel train or serve together. Stewart was sent to Tuskegee, Ala…

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Col. Allison Black, USAF, Afghanistan, 'Angel of Death' 35:43

8M ago35:43

35:43

Allison Black surprised her family by deciding to enlist in the U.S. Air Force after high school. She did it to be part of a mission bigger than herself. After basic training, Black spent the next several years as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape - or SERE - instructor, teaching service members what to do if shot down, stuck behind enemy…

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Lt. Jesse 'Bud' Alley, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Battle of Ia Drang 44:37

8M ago44:37

44:37

Jesse "Bud" Alley was born in Florida but grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. He joined Army ROTC while enrolled at Furman University. Not long after commissioning, he was assigned as a radio officer. After one more reassignment, his job was to make sure radios were in working order for the colonels in the new Air Cavalry Division. Because of th…

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Capt Jack Hawkins, USMC, Vietnam 48:29

8M ago48:29

48:29

Jack Hawkins grew up in Alabama in a community full of military veterans. His family was full of U.S. Marines so joining the corps came naturally to him. Hawkins enlisted in 1963 but immediately began a path towards becoming an officer. That included grueling summer sessions in Quantico, Virginia, and additional training before he was deployed to c…

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SN Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger, U.S. Navy, Notre Dame Football Walk-On 39:13

8M ago39:13

39:13

Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger grew up in a house of 14 children and his his connection with his father, a World War II veteran, was watching Notre Dame football. Rudy's dream was to play for the Fighting Irish. But his high school athetic career did not merit attention from Notre Dame and he says his grades weren't good enough to get accepted there eithe…

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Miracle Files: The Mystery Boat 33:57

9M ago33:57

33:57

If you're a fan of true crime but crave a dose of inspiration instead of tales of darkness, The Miracle Files is your perfect alternative. With the same storytelling intensity as true crime podcasts, The Miracle Files delves into the details of each miraculous story, exploring the people and circumstances that turned these moments into something un…

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Lt. Col. Ken Corigliano, USAF, Afghanistan, Iraq 48:57

9M ago48:57

48:57

By his own admission, Ken Corigliano was a troubled teenager who probably had jail in his future. That all changed the day a U.S. Air Force recruiter came to his school and had plenty to say when Corigliano tried to cause trouble during his presentation. That interaction radically changed Corigliano's life and would lead him to join the Air Force a…

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LCDR Mike Saraille, USMC, U.S. Navy SEAL, Iraq, Afghanistan 1:02:20

9M ago1:02:20

1:02:20

When college wasn't working out, Mike Sarraille decided to become a U.S. Marine when he became friends with a recon Marine and was impressed by his humble confidence. Saraille also become a recon Marine as well as a sniper. But a couple years later, after being encouraged to become an officer, he entered BUD/s training and became a U.S. Navy SEAL. …

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Frank DeVita, USCG, WWII, Omaha Beach, Okinawa 39:17

9M ago39:17

39:17

Frank DeVita joined the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II thinking his job would be to protect the American coast. But his war service would be much different than expected when the Navy decided to use Coast Guard personnel the responsibility of manning many of the landing crafts used during invasions. DeVita was assigned to a Higgins boat headed fo…

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SSG Jack Moran, U.S. Army, WWII, Fighting and Freezing at the Bulge 33:44

9M ago33:44

33:44

Jack Moran joined us nearly two years ago to discuss his extensive combat as an infantryman in Europe during World War II. Today, he returns for another conversation as we hear new details about his service at the Battle of the Bulge and the Saar Valley, plus crossing the Siegfried Line and the Rhine River. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, M…

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Pfc. John 'Bill' Kongable, U.S. Army, World War II 36:16

10M ago36:16

36:16

John "Bill" Kongable was drafted into the U.S. Army just a couple of days after graduating from high school in 1944. From there it was on to basic training and eventually being trained as a gunman for an anti-tank copmany attached to the Army's 89th Infantry Division. He would first see combat in March 1945. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles,…

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Sgt. Robert Day, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah 54:04

10M ago54:04

54:04

Robert Day joined the U.S. Marine Corps just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Soon he was being transformed into a Marine at Parris Island, and, less than three years later, he would be part of some of the most intense combat of the Iraq War during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November and December 2004. He served as a machine gun…

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Col. Sean Corrigan, U.S. Army, Iraq, Afghanistan, Desert Storm, Panama 51:36

10M ago51:36

51:36

Sean Corrigan was commissioned as a second lieutenant when he graduated from West Point in 1988. Within just a couple of years, he saw action in both Panama and Desert Storm. Soon after that he entered the world of special operations and served there for the remainder of his career, including combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and a harrowi…

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Cpl Frank Wright, USMC, World War II, Fighting on Iwo Jima 33:37

10M ago33:37

33:37

Frank Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, when he was just 16 years old. Before long, he became one of the famed Marine Raiders. After deploying first to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Wright contracted malaria and had to spend time recovering. After that, he was part of Marine landings on many different islands in the Pacific, includ…

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Y3C Lee Broussard, U.S. Navy, World War II, Witness to Japanese Surrrender 27:04

11M ago27:04

27:04

Lee Brousard enlisted in the Navy with the intention of joining the Naval Air Corps. But as he was traveling to Florida for flight training, the Navy changed those plans and sent him to San Diego for naval training. After completing basic training, Broussard then finished at the top of his class at Pacific Fleet School at Pearl Harbor. That led to …

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Sgt. Mike Ergo, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah 55:05

11M ago55:05

55:05

Mike Ergo originally joined the U.S. Marine Corps to play his saxophone in the Marine Corps band. But a short time after joining the Corps in 2001, Ergo changed his mind and asked to be transferred to the infantry. Soon, the U.S. was at war in both Afghanistan and Iraq. After an uneventful first deployment to Iraq, Ergo returned in the summer of 20…

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Col. Aaron Cunningham, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah 51:55

11M ago51:55

51:55

Aaron Cunningham started thinking seriously about military service after watching Operation Desert Storm unfold in 1991, the year he graduated from high school. He began college without being sure of military service. Now, Col. Cunningham is retired after 29 years of service. But the service that he is most proud of is serving as commander of Alpha…