Episodes

  • Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, USAF, World War II, Tuskegee Airman, 'Top Gun'

    Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, USAF, World War II, Tuskegee Airman, 'Top Gun'
    Feb 12 2025
    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, Alabama, where he and other black pilots and crew members prepared to serve as fighter pilot escorts for American bombers over Europe.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Col. Stewart describes the training, his first experience in air combat, and the day he was credited with shooting down three German planes. He also shares the painful story of his wingman who was shot down over Europe.

    Stewart also takes us into the historic performance of his team at the Air Force's Top Gun-style competition in 1949, the racism he faced in returning to civilian life, and the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen in transforming American society.

    Col. Stewart died on February 2, 2025, at the age of 100. This interview was conducted at the 2018 American Veterans Center conference.
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    26 mins
  • Col. Allison Black, USAF, Afghanistan, 'Angel of Death'

    Col. Allison Black, USAF, Afghanistan, 'Angel of Death'
    Feb 5 2025
    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 lines, or captured.

    After several years of that she became an officer in Air Force special operations and served as a navigator aboard an AC-130H gunship. Shortly after 9/11, she and her crew were deployed to Afghanistan.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Col. Black describes her life in SERE training, making the shift to special operations and the AC-130, what 9/11 was like for her, entering combat in Afghanistan, and how a famed Afghan ally ended up dubbing her "The Angel of Death."

    Retiring in 2024, Black also reflects on the lessons she learned in 32 years of service and what she hopes others learned from her.
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    36 mins
  • Lt. Jesse 'Bud' Alley, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Battle of Ia Drang

    Lt. Jesse 'Bud' Alley, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Battle of Ia Drang
    Jan 29 2025
    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 the radio work and other training, Alley had never gone through an infantry training course or even flown in a helicopter when he was deployed to Vietnam in 1965. Within months he would be in the midst of some of the most intense combat of the war.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Alley walks us through the buildup to the Battle of Ia Drang. He also explains what he saw upon arriving at Landing Zone X-Ray after the brutal combat there. Alley then takes through the grueling march from X-Ray to Landing Zone Albany and almost immediately entering combat there. He also details the hours enduring what he calls a killing zone, and holding a soldier named Garrett Lee in his arms while Lee took his final breaths.

    Finally, Alley takes us on his journey to meet the family of Garrett Lee just two years ago and what that moment was like. He also tells about his trip back to Vietnam many years after the war.
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    45 mins
  • Capt Jack Hawkins, USMC, Vietnam

    Capt Jack Hawkins, USMC, Vietnam
    Jan 22 2025
    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 command an infantry platoon in Vietnam.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Hawkins takes us from officer training to commanding enlisted men with a whole lot more experience than he had. He tells us how he earned the trust and respect of those men and the importance of being close with your Marines - but not too close.

    Hawkins describes the patrols he led to identify and clear enemy booby traps. But less than a month after arriving in Vietnam, he was wounded during an ambush but quickly focused attention on men who suffered more severe wounds. He also tells the story of living with guilt over a fatal incident where his men struck a mine while driving a truck.

    Hawkins is now chancellor at Troy University in Alabama. In his ongoing efforts to provide students with overseas educational opportunities and to bring foreign students to Troy, Hawkins tells us about returning to Vietnam (reluctantly at first) and establishing a friendship and educational partnership with someone who had been an enemy decades ago.
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    48 mins
  • SN Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger, U.S. Navy, Notre Dame Football Walk-On

    SN Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger, U.S. Navy, Notre Dame Football Walk-On
    Jan 15 2025
    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 either.

    So a co-worker encouraged him to join the Navy. Rudy says his time in the U.S. Navy changed his life and made his Notre Dame dream possible.

    In this edition of "Veteran's Chronicles," Ruettiger tells us about his time in the Navy, including trips to Guantanamo Bay and serving on a destroyer in the Mediterranean Sea during the Vietnam era. He explains how a conversation with an officer who graduated from Notre Dame rekindled his dream to play football.

    He then shares the tough road to get accepted into Notre Dame, how the GI Bill paid for his academic journey to get there and how his military service helped him to connect with both football coaches for the Fighting Irish.

    Finally, Ruettiger walks us through life as a walk-on and the dramatic events that led to him taking the field, getting in the game, and recording a tackle in his one play from scrimmage. And he'll reveal what was real in the movie "Rudy" and where the filmmakers took some dramatic license.
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    39 mins
  • Miracle Files: The Mystery Boat

    Miracle Files: The Mystery Boat
    Jan 9 2025
    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 unforgettable. Whether you believe in divine intervention or human perseverance, this podcast will leave you feeling uplifted and amazed.

    In this episode, A father and son come face to face with an unmanned boat on a collision course in the open ocean, triggering a miraculous chain of events. Follow Sasha Scheller’s harrowing battle for survival after falling overboard without a life jacket, defying impossible odds. Discover the mystery of an unmanned vessel, a gripping fight for life, and the inspiring connections forged in the crucible of danger on the latest episode of The Miracle Files.
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    34 mins
  • Lt. Col. Ken Corigliano, USAF, Afghanistan, Iraq

    Lt. Col. Ken Corigliano, USAF, Afghanistan, Iraq
    Jan 8 2025
    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 and excel at aircraft maintenance, with a special focus on the MC-130 E.

    His instincts helped to save his crew members on at least two occasions. And then a non-combat brain injury would change his life immensely and lead down an unlikely path where Corigliano took on some of the toughest physical competitions in the world.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Corigliano walks us through his Air Force journey, how 9/11 changed his service and the two harrowing missions where he was under intense pressure to solve major problems on the MC-130 E in order to keep the missions on target.

    He also explains the path he took to become a USAF officer and how a lack of physical conditioning almost derailed that dream.

    Finally, Corigliano details his frightening brain injury sustained in a bike accident while training for the Olympic triathlon. He explains how physical fitness helped him to heal from that trauma and how it led to him competing and excelling on very difficult competitions like Beastmaster and American Ninja Warrior.

    Don't miss this compelling and inspirational story.
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    49 mins
  • LCDR Mike Saraille, USMC, U.S. Navy SEAL, Iraq, Afghanistan

    LCDR Mike Saraille, USMC, U.S. Navy SEAL, Iraq, Afghanistan
    Jan 1 2025
    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.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," LCDR Saraille shares his memories of serving with SEAL Team 3 in Iraq, including the brutl fight for Ramadi in 2005 and 2006. He tells the devastating, awe-inspiring story of fellow SEAL MIchael Mansour, who selflessly saved the rest of his men by falling on an enemy grenade while on a rooftop in Ramadi.

    He also explains the rigorous standards for advancing to DevGroup, his harrowing missions in Afghanistan, the horror of losing SEAL members on Extortion 17, and his time as a trainer back at BUD/s. Finally, Saraille discusses some of the key principles in his new book "The Everyday Warrior: A No Hack, Practical Approach to Life."
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    1 hr and 2 mins