Photo by Robert Burroughs

"Each time they didn’t have Veneranda there, I said, 'No, I’m not getting on that plane.' "

Die free

One of our corporals had fallen during the night crossing Samat and injured his hip some way, so we were helping him all the way back for six days. We had to put rifle belts around him and tighten them as tight as we could and help him walk. He was a big man, but we stuck together, I guess, as much for him as we did for ourselves. We didn't have any illusions.

By Leon Beck with Neal Matthews, April 23, 1992 Read full article

American P-38. "We sent eighteen P-38s, four to attack the bomber that Yamamoto would be in and the six Zeroes, and fourteen to provide protection from the one hundred Zeroes we believed would be in the area."

I shot down Japan's Admiral Yamamoto

"McLanahan blew a tire on the runway and had to be left behind. Then, two minutes into the flight, Joe Moore gestured to me that his wing tanks were not feeding to his engine properly, and he had to abort the mission. The leader of our cover planes, John Mitchell, waved in Bisby Holmes and Ray Hines to join me. Our plan was to spend two hours skimming the waves at 100 to 200 feet, below the enemy sight."

By Kathleen Beth Mix, Jan. 21 1988 Read full article

Hickman the hero

On December 4, 1959, at about noon, an F3H Demon piloted by Ensign Albert Joseph Hickman, 21, crashed into a Clairemont canyon. The pilot deliberately stayed with the aircraft to avoid crashing into Hawthorne Elementary School, saving as many as 700 lives.

By Gary Cornaglia, Dec. 16, 2009 Read full article

“Karla and I went to different homes looking for pilots. We finally found an American who said he’d fly out at first light and everyone kept saying it was impossible to do anything at night there."

Catherine Kanner

Somewhere Between Death and the Border

“I ran over to pick the suitcase up and, yeah, Eddie was laying there, face down in this pool of blood in the sand about a foot across, laying there with his hands like this [thrown out in front with the right side of the face down]. We couldn’t see what was wrong with him. Karla came running over, and we knew we had to do something and didn’t know what. We knew we couldn’t leave him there. What choice did we have?"

By Bob Dorn, Sept. 16, 1982 Red full article

Jerry Stadtmiller at Vietnam Veterans Peace Memorial. Helen DeCrane, a navy nurse, later explained: "There was no way, no time to ask for his name. I had to get a breathing tube in while he was awake, so he wouldn't swallow what was left of his tongue."

Nobody wanted to hear from us

The chief medical surgeon reported he'd never seen a man's face (at least one who lived) so badly damaged. Two sniper bullets tore away his lower face, so that one-third of his tongue had to be removed and all but four of his teeth. Plastic surgeons later sewed up the right socket of his eye, built him a nose from part of his hipbone, replaced a piece of his skull with a metal plate, and created a new tear duct for his left eye.

By Hawkins Mitchell, May 29, 1997 Read full article

“Sorry as hell about your family. You okay?” “Sure.” “Miracle you made it. Listen, we pulled up a piece of your radar. Caught in our nets off Eureka."

Jennifer Hewitson

Nightmare of the New Hope

Swimming, nothing but swimming and cold water and raft. He couldn’t see. The swell lifted, tossed him, and dropped him. He plunged ahead and bumped the raft canister. A little cry of relief burst from him, lost in the shriek of the wind. His hands scrambled, searching for the inflate cord. The sea bounced him. Spray lashed the can. His hand found a rope tied around the center of the canister.

By Rick Geist, March 19, 1987 Read full article