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101. Gene Barber: Interview (27:35)

Date:
2007-05-09
Main contributors:
Barber, Gene
Summary:
Gene Barber, U.S. Navy, WW II (Interviewed May 9, 2007) Gene Barber served the people of Williamson County as its sheriff for seven years, sold cars and lumber and delivered the mail in the years before that. But that all came after his 33 year months at sea, serving aboard the carrier USS Corregidor during four major battles of World War II’s Pacific Campaign. Plus, you will not find a bigger Bob Wills fan. They were both born in Kosse, Texas.

102. John Miller: Interview (32:44)

Date:
2007-05-04
Main contributors:
Miller, John
Summary:
Gen. John Miller, U.S. Marines, WW II, Korea/Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘46) (Interviewed April 5, 2007) When Lt. Gen. John H. Miller and his wife Virginia moved to College Station, by his count, it was their 37th move of their married life. Such is the life of this career Marine who served his country in 3 wars -- World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He call his service not all that distinguished, but it was indeed distinguished enough to earn 3 Purple Hearts, 2 Bronze Star Medals, 2 Legion of merits and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. And that’s just to name a few.

103. Don Nicholas: Interview (27:52)

Date:
2007-04-26
Main contributors:
Nicholas, Don
Summary:
Don Nicholas, Air Force, Korea/Vietnam (A&M Class of '48) (Interviewed April 26, 2007) Don Nicholas was a Texas A&M quarterback from 1947 to 1949, not a star player, but he certainly made his mark in service for his country in Korea and Vietnam. During the Korean War he flew 20 B-29 missions from his base in Okinawa and later he served three tours in Vietnam where he flew 69 B-52 missions. After he retired he and an Air Force buddy spent 15 years as one of the top senior tennis doubles teams in Texas.

104. Ty Newton: Interview (27:37)

Date:
2007-03-28
Main contributors:
Newton, Ty
Summary:
Ty Newton, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam (Interviewed March 28, 2007) Ty Newton of College Station could have pursued a pro sports career if he hadn’t loved flying more than he loved baseball. He was pretty good at both but flying was in his blood. He was an instructor pilot both before and after his 4 1/2 years of service in Viet Nam, and even pulled duty as then Congressman Lyndon Johnson’s personal pilot in the late 50’s. Ty Newton flew C-130s during Viet Nam... at the time classified missions that included everything from re-supplying the Laotian Army to dropping flares for U.S. Fighters to better see their targets. It was a mission he could not talk about then, but can now.

105. Jules Jacquin: Interview (27:26)

Date:
2007-02-22
Main contributors:
Jacquin, Jules
Summary:
Jules Jacquin, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Feb. 22, 2007) Jules Jacquin of College Station is one of many proud Aggies whose education was interrupted by World War II. But there was plenty to learn in the Army, as a member of Company K of the 102nd Infantry Division that swept through France, Belgium and Holland on its way to Germany near war’s end.

106. Al Rampmeier: Interview (27:47)

Date:
2007-02-07
Main contributors:
Rampmeier, Al
Summary:
Al Rampmeier, U.S. Army, Vietnam (Interviewed Feb. 8, 2007) Al Rampmeier served under Gen. Hal Moore. Moore was the officer depicted in the film “We Were Soldiers”, and wrote the book it was based on. His is a remarkable story of service as a member of the military police.

107. Bob Spoede: Interview (27:43)

Date:
2007-02-02
Main contributors:
Spoede, Bob
Summary:
Bob Spoede, U.S. Army, Vietnam (A&M Class of 1948) (Interviewed February 2, 2007) Bob Spoede is an author and a former A&M professor, and a Vietnam veteran. He was older than most, 38, when he first arrived in country. He served 18 months in the Marines and also served four years in Germany. He was inspired to serve after his brother died in a plane crash while serving as a Marine in 1943.

108. Durwood Lewis: Interview (28:24)

Date:
2007-01-24
Main contributors:
Lewis, Durwood
Summary:
Durwood Lewis, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘60) (Interviewed Jan. 24, 2007) Maj. Durwood Lewis was a F-4 back-seater who saw a great deal in his 12-month assignment in Vietnam. It was one year out of more than 20 years of service in the U.S. Air Force.

109. Arnold Foltermann: Interview (29:10)

Date:
2006-11-15
Main contributors:
Foltermann, Arnold
Summary:
Arnold Foltermann, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Nov. 15, 2006) Arnold Foltermann and his wife Minnie were married some 60 years and worked for the phone company after he served in Gen. Patton’s 3rd Army during World War II. He saw action at the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. Just a “doughboy”, fighting for his country.

110. Curtis Burns: Interview (28:00)

Date:
2006-11-10
Main contributors:
Burns, Curtis
Summary:
Curtis Burns, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘52) (Interviewed Nov. 10, 2006) Major Curt Burns was an airman with plenty of passion and little fear. He grew up in a home about where G. Rollie White Coliseum once stood. He piloted five different jet fighters during his service in Europe and Vietnam. He spent 20 years as an Air Force pilot and logged more than 5,000 hours in the air. In retirement, he was the coach of A&M’s National Champion Pistol team.

111. Scotty Reynolds: Interview (28:19)

Date:
2006-10-25
Main contributors:
Reynolds, Scotty
Summary:
Dr. Scott Reynolds, Army/Navy, Korea/Viet Nam (A&M Class of 1958) (Interviewed October 25, 2006) He is known as “Dr. Scotty” in books he has written about animal care. Dr. Scott Reynolds served in the Navy and then 14 years in the Army where he was an Army Veterinarian. He served in Guam and Korea. He has worked as an actor and done some 20 television commercials.

112. Gerald Roop: Interview (28:21)

Date:
2006-10-04
Main contributors:
Roop, Gerald
Summary:
Gerald Roop, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Oct. 4, 2006) Captain Gerald Roop is a proud Okie who lived in the Brazos Valley for more than 40 years. He was a sound officer in World War II. What’s a sound officer? You have to know about “flash and sound” to know what he did. It was not a large unit but an extremely valuable one, that put itself in harm’s way though combat at the Battle of the Bulge and other resistance in their march through France and into Germany.

113. Thomas Darling - part 1: Interview (28:18)

Date:
2006-09-27
Main contributors:
Darling, Thomas
Summary:
Gen. Thomas Darling, Air Force, Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘54) (Interviewed Sept. 27, 2006) From the summer of 1987 to the summer of 1996, Major General Thomas G Darling served as Commandant of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. But his years of service to our country started long before that, 33 years before to be exact. As a member of the class of 1954 -- two months after graduation he was active-duty Air Force. He learned to fly and fly he did it, more than 7000 hours, 500 of those piloting the giant B-52 on some 46 combat missions in Vietnam.

114. Thomas Darling - part 2: Interview (28:16)

Date:
2006-09-26
Main contributors:
Darling, Thomas
Summary:
Gen. Thomas Darling, Air Force, Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘54) (Interviewed Sept. 27, 2006) From the summer of 1987 to the summer of 1996, Major General Thomas G Darling served as Commandant of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. But his years of service to our country started long before that, 33 years before to be exact. As a member of the class of 1954 -- two months after graduation he was active-duty Air Force. He learned to fly and fly he did it, more than 7000 hours, 500 of those piloting the giant B-52 on some 46 combat missions in Vietnam.

115. Paul Stephens: Interview (28:01)

Date:
2006-09-20
Main contributors:
Stephens, Paul
Summary:
Paul Stephens, Army Air Corps, WW II (Interviewed Sept. 20, 2006) Colonel Paul Stephens will never forget the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, the dawn of D-Day. Hours before sunrise and the beach invasion at Normandy, came the paratrooper drop behind the beaches between them the Americans and the British flew someone 1,000 transport planes and one of those was a C- 47 piloted by Colonel Stephens. Paul Stephen served his country as a flyer and for more than three years of his long service, witnessed the war in Europe from his cock pit. His is a fascinating story. Paul W. Stephens is A&M class of 1938.

116. Bill Hamilton: Interview (28:27)

Date:
2006-09-13
Main contributors:
Hamilton, Bill
Summary:
Bill Hamilton, U.S. Army, Vietnam Era Interviewed Dec. 13, 2006 Bill Hamilton is a veteran who did not serve in any overseas combat, but the battle he fought since January 1980 is one that he wins every day. He's a volunteer and an assistant chaplain of the Disabled American Veterans. He sings and writes poems and you'll understand how he turned a personal nightmare into hope and faith. Meet Sergeant Bill Hamilton, Vietnam veteran.

117. Bob Wilkinson: Interview (27:48)

Date:
2006-08-30
Main contributors:
Wilkinson, Bob
Summary:
Bob Wilkinson, U.S. Air Force, Korea/Viet Nam (Interviewed Aug. 30, 2006) Colonel Bob Wilkinson caught the end of the Korean War and then three tours of Vietnam, flying both fixed wing and choppers as a United States Marine. But some of his most memorable stories come from the 32 weeks he served as a helicopter pilot for President and Mrs. Dwight Eisenhower, shuttling them mostly from the White House to the retreat named after their grandson, Camp David. His is a fascinating 28 year career of military service. Welcome Bobby Wilkinson.

118. Brian Parker: Interview (30:00)

Date:
2006-08-23
Main contributors:
Parker, Brian
Summary:
Brian Parker, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam (Interviewed Aug. 23, 2006) As a crew member of the AC-47, Brian Parker says he could not buy a drink anywhere while on active duty in Vietnam. You see AC-47s went about the business of saving lives and it was a pleasure for those survivors to pick up the tab. When ground troops were surrounded by the enemy, it was the AC-47 gunship that came to the rescue, lighting up the area with flares or bullets. Brian Parker was a navigator in Vietnam for 18 months, just part of his 20 years of military service.

119. Terry Rosser: Interview (29:42)

Date:
2006-08-23
Main contributors:
Rosser, Terry
Summary:
Terry Rosser, U.S. Army, Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘61) (Interviewed Aug.23, 2006) Terry Rosser not only served two tours of Vietnam but he also flew himself there. It was 74 hours and 10 stops along the way and that’s just one story he has to tell. Like most Purple Heart winners, he does not think it was that big a deal that he was wounded. What is a big deal to Terry Rosser is family and his Alma Mater Texas A&M, his faith and his friends.

120. Mike Guidry - part 2: Interview (54:40)

Date:
2006-08-21
Main contributors:
Guidry, Mike
Summary:
Mike Guidry, Navy Seabees, Iraq (Interviewed Aug. 6, 2006) Mike Guidry was a proud member of the 28th Seabees, He initially spent 6 months in Fallujah in Iraq, attached to the 2nd Marines Expeditionary Force. As a Seabee, he helped build things to help fight the war on terror. We did three shows with Mike Guidry, the second and third featuring his own videos he made to show the work of his unit in Iraq.

121. Mike Guidry - part 3: Interview (27:17)

Date:
2006-08-21
Main contributors:
Guidry, Mike
Summary:
Mike Guidry, Navy Seabees, Iraq (Interviewed Aug. 6, 2006) Mike Guidry was a proud member of the 28th Seabees, He initially spent 6 months in Fallujah in Iraq, attached to the 2nd Marines Expeditionary Force. As a Seabee, he helped build things to help fight the war on terror. We did three shows with Mike Guidry, the second and third featuring his own videos he made to show the work of his unit in Iraq.

122. Mike Guidry - part 1: Interview (27:45)

Date:
2006-08-06
Main contributors:
Guidry, Mike
Summary:
Mike Guidry, Navy Seabees, Iraq (Interviewed Aug. 6, 2006) Mike Guidry was a proud member of the 28th Seabees, He initially spent 6 months in Fallujah in Iraq, attached to the 2nd Marines Expeditionary Force. As a Seabee, he helped build things to help fight the war on terror. We did three shows with Mike Guidry, the second and third featuring his own videos he made to show the work of his unit in Iraq.

123. Frank Dickey: Interview (27:43)

Date:
2006-06-28
Main contributors:
Dickey, Frank
Summary:
Frank Dickey, U.S. Army, Vietnam (Interviewed June 28, 2006) Frank Dickey refuses to call himself a hero but most might disagree. He says that in Vietnam he fought alongside heroes but he, like many who went, who fought, who came home, prefers to reserve the label hero for those who did not come home. He was not an officer, nor a company commander nor a Phantom pilot. Frank Dickey’s role in Vietnam was as the guy who laid his rifle on the line with every patrol -- just infantry army soldier, search and destroy, chopping away at the jungle in search of the enemy. Yet by many standards a hero and it's our honor to have spoken with him on Veterans of the Valley.

124. Dick Davison - part 1: Interview (28:17)

Date:
2006-06-21
Main contributors:
Davison, Dick
Summary:
Dick Davison, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed June 21, 2006) Dick Davison does not dwell on the ribbons and medals that passed him by for his service in World War II. As you will discover PFC Davison was a soldier not looking for recognition; he was a fighter, simply looking to defeat the German enemy. A ground soldier – and as he admits, an independent thinker who didn't always go along with conventional ways. What he saw along the way is and incredible story that he was proud to tell.

125. Dick Davison - part 2: Interview (27:58)

Date:
2006-06-21
Main contributors:
Davison, Dick
Summary:
Dick Davison, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed June 21, 2006) Dick Davison does not dwell on the ribbons and medals that passed him by for his service in World War II. As you will discover PFC Davison was a soldier not looking for recognition; he was a fighter, simply looking to defeat the German enemy. A ground soldier – and as he admits, an independent thinker who didn't always go along with conventional ways. What he saw along the way is and incredible story that he was proud to tell.

126. Jim Gordon: Interview (27:26)

Date:
2006-06-14
Main contributors:
Gordon, Jim
Summary:
Jim Gordon, Army Air Corps, WW II (Interviewed June 14, 2006) Sometimes we forget exactly how young some of our World War II veterans were when they lay their short lives on the line for us. On October 26, 1944, Jim Gordon of College Station flew his first of 24 mission over Austria. The next day he celebrated his 19th birthday. He would fly 34 more missions over Europe, most of them with a crew that had been together since their training days in Lincoln, Nebraska. One of those missions earned him a Purple Heart. It was all part of the life of a World War II tail gunner.

127. Walter Cronin: Interview (27:49)

Date:
2006-06-07
Main contributors:
Cronin, Walter
Summary:
Walter Cronin Jr., U.S. Army, Korea/Vietnam (Interviewed June 7, 2006) Walter Cronin was 16 years old when he graduated from high school but as you will find out, Colonel Cronin was on the fast track just about all his life, certainly during a distinguished military career that spanned 27 years, It was a career that sent him to service not only in the United States, but to Japan, Korea, Paris, London and Vietnam. He kept up with World War II as a schoolboy, joined the merchant Marines and then the Army in 1946. He was coming into military service just as the fighting was wrapping up in the Pacific. It's an intriguing story of service and we are proud to welcome Colonel Walter J Cronin Jr.

128. Joe Brewster: Interview (28:16)

Date:
2006-05-03
Main contributors:
Brewster, Joe
Summary:
Joe Brewster, U.S. Army, Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘69) (Interviewed May 3, 2006) Being an Aggie is in Jor Brewster’s blood -- his father, his grandfather, great uncle, and sons all Aggies. Like his father Olin Brewster, he served his country in combat. Olin was a decorated survivor of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Joe Brewster was a ground Infantry fighter in the jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia.

129. Jim West: Interview (28:24)

Date:
2006-04-26
Main contributors:
West, Jim
Summary:
Jim West, U.S. Marines, Vietnam (Interviewed April 26, 2006) Look up Marine in the dictionary and you might just see a picture of Jim West. Well you certainly should. This former Madisonville Police Chiefs spent nearly 3 years as a ground fighter in Vietnam. Jim West was not a spit-and-polish kind of Marine at all. He was a fighter who didn't mind bending a rule or two if it meant protecting his fellow Marines. If it weren't for those wounds he suffered 30 years ago he said that even at the age of 66 he'd volunteered to fight in Iraq. Sadly within a month of our interview Jim West died after suffering a rattlesnake bite on his own ranch.

130. Rich Thomas: Interview (28:42)

Date:
2006-04-12
Main contributors:
Thomas, Rich
Summary:
Rich Thomas, U.S. Navy, Korea (Interviewed April 12,2006) Rich Thomas of College Station will talk about the Destroyer USS Leonard F. Mason as if it's a family member and why not? It was his home for four years during his service as a Navy sailor during the Korean War. He found the fast track to combat, just three months after joining the Navy at age 17, the Mason was on the receiving end of a Korean offensive, of the Eastern shore of the country at Wonton Harbor. It was a quick introduction to war. He knows he was luckier than many others to have survived the conflict.

131. Claude Mounce: Interview (28:08)

Date:
2006-04-05
Main contributors:
Mounce, Claude
Summary:
Claude Mounce, U.S. Navy, Cuban Missile Crisis (Interviewed April 5, 2006) October 18 to the 29th of 1962 was the Cuban missile crisis. Claude Mounce saw it up close and personal, but he'll tell you that at the time he had no idea it was such a big deal. As a pilot off a carrier that was part of the blockade, it was his job to fly the photographer to where the Russian ships were approaching. Photos were taken and sent back to Washington, where Pres. John Kennedy and his military advisers were convinced that the Soviets were planning to stockpile warhead missiles to bases in Cuba. It became one of the most critical political standoffs in our history.

132. Pat Patterson: Interview (27:38)

Date:
2006-03-29
Main contributors:
Patterson, Pat
Summary:
Pat Patterson, U.S. Marines, Desert Storm (Interviewed March 29, 2006) Pat Patterson served as a Marine during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, but this show is about his work as a counselor for the Texas Veterans Commission. It’s his job to make veterans aware of the benefit available to them. He served 20 years in the Marine Corp. He was a warrant officer during Desert Storm. He crossed the border the day before the ground war started, giving support to the artillery, looking for gun positions.

133. Ray Valigura: Interview (28:07)

Date:
2006-03-08
Main contributors:
Valigura, Ray
Summary:
Ray Valigura, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed March 8,2006) As a machine gunner with the 86th Blackhawk division in Europe, Ray Valigura of Bryan bravely fought in World War II. After the end of the war he saw the horror of World War II up close. While his memories of the war include the camaraderie of the 86th, they just as sharply focused on the remains of the concentration camps and POW camp's his unit helped liberate. He'll tell you that as a youth he didn't much think about it but today his recollections flood back. Assigned to Gen. Patton's third Army in his march through Europe, the 86th Blackhawks was the first unit that returned home after the war in tact. Ray is a retired Texas A&M worker of nearly 30 years. He and his wife Jean lived in Bryan.

134. Bill Kling: Interview (28:18)

Date:
2006-02-22
Main contributors:
Kling, Bill
Summary:
Bill Kling, Army, WW II, A&M Class of 1949 (Interviewed Feb. 22, 2006) Bill “BJ” Kling started Kling Engineering in 1975 but by then his own surveying skills had been tapped in most every arena you can imagine, including in World War II as an infantry soldier with the 102nd. His unit sailed overseas late in the European campaign in 1944, in time for the Battle of the Bulge and in time to witness the surrender of thousands of German troops -- many soldiers who were interrogated by Bill Kling. After the war, Bill Kling entered Texas A&M as a 30-year-old freshman. After the war he met Florace and they were married for some 60 years.

135. Jack Upham: Interview (27:53)

Date:
2006-02-15
Main contributors:
Upham, Jack
Summary:
Jack Upham, U.S. Army, WW II/Korea (Interviewed Feb. 15, 2006) Ask Jack Upham about his nearly 15 years of military service and he will be the first to tell you that his generation simply did what needed to be done, what needed to be done by all men and women who love their country. Nonetheless, his service in World War II and then in Korea were significant slices of his life. He was a ground soldier with the 27th Infantry Regiment in Luzon that spent a record 162 consecutive days in combat without relief. Then in Korea he realized his dream to be a pilot. It was a military career well served by Jack Upham of College Station.

136. Holly Rees: Interview (28:13)

Date:
2006-02-08
Main contributors:
Rees, Holly
Summary:
Holly Rees, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Feb.8, 2006) Holly Rees caught the tail end of World War II, but Purple Hearts were being earned even then. It was after the Allied victory in Europe had been won but well before the battle in the Pacific was finished. June 21, 1945 -- that’s when Sergeant Holly Rees, Company 1 of the 184th Infantry, was wounded in the foot during the brutal battle at Okinawa. He had been on the ground just 32 days when he had to put down his rifle. But it was 32 days he’ll never forget.

137. Tom Browning: Interview (28:07)

Date:
2006-02-01
Main contributors:
Browning, Tom
Summary:
Tom Browning, Army Military Police, WW II Interviewed Feb.1, 2006 As important as any military detail of World War II was the Military Police -- providing personal protection for those conducting the war, and from time to time dealing with those soldiers whose behavior might undermine the unity of a mission. Sergeant Tom Browning of Bryan was a member of one of the very first military police battalions of the US Army, as a member of the 503rd and 504th MPs, he was quickly promoted from PFC to Corporal, then to Sergeant then First Sergeant and as a result of his duty, was in December 1944, awarded the Bronze Star Medal for what his Captain called meritorious service in connection with military operations against an enemy of the United States and France. Later, as a member of the 512th military police, Sergeant Browning was attached to General George Patton's 3rd Army.

138. Henry Dethloff - part 1: Interview (29:05)

Date:
2006-01-04
Main contributors:
Dethloff, Henry
Summary:
Dr. Henry Dethloff, Author “Texas Aggies Go To War” Interviewed Jan. 4, 2006) It's no secret that Texas A&M's contribution to our country's war efforts have gone above and beyond those of most other universities. We have had the honor of featuring many former students on Veterans of the Valley. Well now they have a book dedicated to their service “Texas Aggies Go To War” authored by one of the foremost historians of Texas A&M, Henry Dethloff Professor Emeritus of History at Texas A&M, along with former student John A. Adams. Texas A&M sent more than 20,000 to serve in World War II alone, more than 14,000 as commissioned officers. It's an extraordinary account of Aggie military service.

139. Henry Dethloff - part 2: Interview (28:08)

Date:
2006-01-04
Main contributors:
Dethloff, Henry
Summary:
Dr. Henry Dethloff, Author “Texas Aggies Go To War” Interviewed Jan. 4, 2006) It's no secret that Texas A&M's contribution to our country's war efforts have gone above and beyond those of most other universities. We have had the honor of featuring many former students on Veterans of the Valley. Well now they have a book dedicated to their service “Texas Aggies Go To War” authored by one of the foremost historians of Texas A&M, Henry Dethloff Professor Emeritus of History at Texas A&M, along with former student John A. Adams. Texas A&M sent more than 20,000 to serve in World War II alone, more than 14,000 as commissioned officers. It's an extraordinary account of Aggie military service.

140. Charles Opersteny: Interview (28:35)

Date:
2005-12-15
Main contributors:
Opersteny, Charles
Summary:
Charles Opersteny, Air Force, Korea (Interviewed Dec. 15, 2005) Charles Opersteny is one of the driving forces of the American Legion Post 159 in Bryan Texas. That is his passions in his post military career. He served at the old Bryan Air Force Base during the years of the Korean War.

141. Brent Mullins: Interview (27:20)

Date:
2005-12-07
Main contributors:
Mullins, Brent
Summary:
Brent Mullins, Museum of the American GI, Collector (Interviewed Dec. 7, 2005) Brent Mullins is a collector and his collection of war and military memorabilia is vast. So vast in fact that it now fills a museum in South College Station called the “Museum of the American GI”. In addition to the show with Brent, is a second radio feature on Brent’s generous gift to friend and veteran Ed Eyre, a veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Brent took Ed back to Iwo Jima as a thank you for his service and for the volunteer work Ed did in restoring many of Brent’s vehicles and other war machines.

142. Louis Hudson: Interview (27:40)

Date:
2005-11-16
Main contributors:
Hudson, Louis
Summary:
Louis Hudson, U.S. Army, World War II (A&M Class of '44) (Interviewed Nov. 15, 2005) Texas A&M sophomore Louis Hudson was sitting in the campus theater when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Indeed the theater manager came out to tell the patrons about the attack that started the U.S. involvement in World War II. Louis Hudson was a paratrooper who got his training at Fort Benning, Georgia. His career included jumping over the lines during Normandy into St Mere Eglise and later as a paratrooper, part of the US mission Operations Market Garden. His is truly a remarkable story.

143. Ed Eyre: Interview (28:12)

Date:
2005-11-09
Main contributors:
Eyre, Ed
Summary:
Ed Eyre, U.S. Marines, WW II (Interviewed Nov. 9, 2005) December 19, 1941 and Ed Eyre was among the first to volunteer for service following the attack on Pearl Harbor. It took a while and a little maneuvering to get where he wanted to be -- as a Marine. He wanted to fight for his country in the Pacific and eventually he found himself in the middle of it as a member of the 5th Marine Division, 28th Regimental Weapons Company. Charging the sands on D-Day at Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945. He saw that US flag flying atop Mount Suribachi -- The flag etched in American pride by the famous photograph of the Marines who mounted it there. He fought day and night and he would fight for 10 days, until shrapnel from a mortar round eventually ended his combat service. Ed Eyre was a winner of the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart -- live out his life in rural Brazos county.

144. Mike Jarvis: Interview (24:22)

Date:
2005-11-02
Main contributors:
Jarvis, Mike
Summary:
Mike Jarvis, U.S. Army, Iraq (A&M Class of 2006) (Interviewed Nov. 2, 2005) Mike Jarvis, with the Texas A&M Veterans Association, talks about what Texas A&M does for its students who have served and are returning for their education, or are about to start service. Jarvis served in Germany and Bosnia in the mid-90s as a combat engineer. He blew stuff up and built robots that did it. He started his service at the age of 17.

145. Lannes Hope: Interview (28:58)

Date:
2005-10-26
Main contributors:
Hope, Lannes
Summary:
Lannes Hope, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Oct. 26, 2005) Col. Lannes Hope did not land on Omaha Beach on D-Day, but he watched he watched it happen from off-shore that day. The next day, June 7, 1944, (D+1), his unit brought the first tanks to Normandy. An eyewitness to what Hollywood called “The Longest Day” and an eyewitness to the horror of death the invasion left behind. A west Texas boy and a musician and a member of the Texas Tech band of the 1940’s.

146. Ed & Yolanda Kozlowski: Interview (27:59)

Date:
2005-10-12
Main contributors:
Kozlowski, Ed
Summary:
Edward and Yolanda Kozlowski, U.S. Air Force/Army, WW II (Interviewed together Oct. 12, 2005) By the end of World War II Capt. Edward Kozlowski had flown 88 missions over the combat territory of the European Theater. His life's path took him from his boyhood farm in Wisconsin, through his military service as a pathfinder navigator, to Houston and NASA. That's where he designed and installed the heat shields used on the Apollo missions. But perhaps his most rewarding mission was that to win the heart of Yolanda Frisch, an Army nurse in World War II. That too was no easy challenge. Yolanda Frisch of the 100th Evacuation Hospital, always set up near the front lines; following Patton's Army through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. She was a triage and a surgical nurse. Both former Texas A&M employees both have passed away now but their story is indeed a testament to the bravery and determination of all those men and women who served for freedom.

147. Tyson Voelkel: Interview (27:56)

Date:
2005-10-10
Main contributors:
Voelkel, Tyson
Summary:
Tyson Voelkel, U.S. Army, Iraq (A&M Class of ‘96) (Interviewed Oct. 10, 2005) Tyson Voelkel was a proud soldier of the 82nd Airborne, a graduate student at the George Bush School of Public Service, who also taught at West Point in 2007. It was a quick path from Texas A&M Corp of Cadet Commander to Iraq, Company A commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment. He was a paratrooper. His unit attached to the Army's 1st Armored Division, working for a time in the Al Rashid district of Baghdad. He was there for two tours.. Today Tyson Voelkel is the Executive Director of the Texas A&M foundation.

148. Jim Hester: Interview (28:17)

Date:
2005-09-21
Main contributors:
Hester, Jim
Summary:
Jim Hester, U.S. Army, Vietnam (Interviewed Sept. 21, 2005) Jim Hester of Bryan was an Army lifer. That was interrupted by four years he spent in the Air Force. He served one tour in Germany and three tours of Vietnam. He was a medic and a nurse. He was wounded three times and earned several commendations. After 9/11, he re-upped and trained troops to serve in the war on terror. He’s proud of his 35-year career in uniform.

149. Bob Middleton: Interview (27:50)

Date:
2005-09-14
Main contributors:
Middleton, Bob
Summary:
Bob Middleton, U.S. Army, Korea (A&M Class of ‘51) (Interviewed Sept. 14, 2005) 2nd Lt. Bob Middleton is proud of his service in what’s sometimes called the “Forgotten War”. He was one of some 1900 Aggie who fought in the Korean War. 63 Aggies lost their lives. Bob took the fast track from A&M to the front lines at Heartbreak Ridge. That's where they did battle, mostly in the pitch dark of night, often in the snow. Bob Middleton left Korea with many memories of survival and with the Army’s Silver Star medal.

150. Bill Youngkin: Interview (28:30)

Date:
2005-09-07
Main contributors:
Youngkin, Bill
Summary:
Bill Youngkin, U.S. Army, Vietnam (A&M Class of 69) (Interviewed September 7, 2005) Bill Youngkin was a Texas A&M Yell Leader his senior year. He was a U.S. Army Transportation Specialist in Vietnam in 1971 and 1972. Bill Youngkin talks about his service but also his passion for honoring other veterans through his weekly column in the Bryan/College Station Eagle, "Brazos Valley Heroes".

151. Al Hanson: Interview (27:58)

Date:
2005-08-31
Main contributors:
Hanson, Al
Summary:
Al Hanson, Army Air Corps, WW II (Interviewed Aug. 31, 2005) It was on Al and Ruby Hanson's backyard porch that Tom Turbiville first started his passion for telling the story of Brazos Valley Veterans. Al Hanson was a radio operator of the 55th troop carrier squadron US Army Air Corps. He lost count of how many air missions he flew in World War II -- his craft delivering supplies to the troops on practically every island of the Pacific Campaign.

152. John Anderson: Interview (28:20)

Date:
2005-08-24
Main contributors:
Anderson, John
Summary:
John Anderson, U.S. Army, Vietnam (Interviewed Aug. 25, 2005) John Anderson is quick to say that his one year duty in Vietnam was not combat filled. He did not fly the gunships but he flew above them, in his 01 single engine bird dog aircraft, guiding the gunships and identifying landing zones. He was with the 75 Rangers

153. David Marion: Interview (27:40)

Date:
2005-08-10
Main contributors:
Marion, David
Summary:
David Marion, U. S. Army, Vietnam (A&M Class of '65) (Interviewed Aug. 10, 2005) David Marion was a military advisor serving in the jungles of Vietnam during the hottest time of that war in 1968 and 1969. He says his most memorable service was that along side maybe swift boats. He has quite a story to tell.

154. James Rothermel: Interview (27:26)

Date:
2005-08-03
Main contributors:
Rothermel, James
Summary:
James Rothermel, U.S. Navy Seabees, WW II (Interviewed Aug. 3, 2005) World War II could not have been fought, much less won, had it not been for the work of the Navy Seabees, the Construction Battalion. They were builders -- airstrips, bridges, piers and everything from hospitals to Quonset Huts...even builders of bomb shelters. Company C Painter First Class James Rothermel was stationed on perhaps the ultimate hotspot of the Pacific at Guadalcanal as a member of the 14th Seabees. He’s a retired educator and a mainstay of development of the Washington County Veterans Memorial in his hometown of Brenham, Texas.

155. Raymond Schultz: Interview (27:20)

Date:
2005-07-13
Main contributors:
Schultz, Raymond
Summary:
Raymond Schultz, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed July 13, 2005) There was a common thread among veterans that runs particularly through those we call the greatest generation, following their brave service to our country came a long career of labor, supporting their families, earning their retirement. For 25 years, Bryan's Raymond Schultz was a plumber at Texas A&M until his retirement in 1985. We salute those years of his youth, when as a member of the 547th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapon Battalion, he found himself on the final march through Europe, attached to and following behind Gen. George S Patton. Yes, whether it was in the movies or old newsreels, we all are familiar with Patton's 'blood and guts' speeches to his troops as he led the 3rd Army in that final push. Sgt. Raymond Schultz was there listening. It's just one of his memories of his nearly 4 years of service in the United States Army.

156. Ron Lewis: Interview (28:50)

Date:
2005-06-30
Main contributors:
Lewis, Ron
Summary:
Ron Lewis, U.S. Army, Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘64) (Interviewed June 30, 2005) Captain Ron Lewis served his country as a helicopter pilot, assigned to lift duty for Cav One in Vietnam. His ship flew low and fast over the jungles, setting down in landing zones that barely existed-- dropping soldiers and picking up soldiers, hopefully alive, but many times not.

157. R.F. “Sonny” Franze: Interview (28:44)

Date:
2005-06-22
Main contributors:
Franze, R. F. “Sonny”
Summary:
R.F. “Sonny” Franze, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed June 22, 2005) “Sonny” Franze recalled well leaving his farm near Kurten and going into the Army -- learning to climb telephone poles and set communication wire and eventually taking that training across the North Atlantic to Europe front lines. He landed at Normandy on D+10 and that led to bravery that won him five Bronze Stars. He also saw the horror that his unit discovered at the concentration camp called Buchenwald.

158. Billy Joe Adams: Interview (28:49)

Date:
2005-06-15
Main contributors:
Adams, Billy Joe
Summary:
Billy Joe Adams, U.S. Army, WW II (A&M Class of ‘41) (Interviewed June 15, 2005) Retired Lt. Col. Billy Joe Adams was a veteran of the fighting in the European Theater during World War II and of post-conflict Korea. During World War II, he was assigned to the A Battery of the 414th Field Artillery Battalion. He was the Field Operations Officer for the 414th.

159. W.S. Edmonds: Interview (28:37)

Date:
2005-06-08
Main contributors:
Edmonds, W. S.
Summary:
W.S. Edmonds, U.S. Army, World War II (A&M Class of ‘38) (Interviewed June 8, 2005) World War II was won by men and women all pulling their weight, doing their job, whether was fighting on the front lines or serving in the chow lines. When Bryan’s W.S. Edmonds, A&M class of 1938, enlisted in 1942 (just two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor), he had field artillery in mind. He spent a lot of his time in the Army training ragtag replacements stateside for overseas duty. But when his branch’s orders were changed to postal duty in Louisiana, that was not how W.S. wanted to spend the war. If he was going to stay in the states, he wanted to be where the action was so he got himself transferred to Washington DC, the Pentagon, a part of the Army’s Courier Transport Service. It was mostly top secret and it had to get from one place to another, and W.S. Edmonds was one of the soldiers the Army depended on to get it there. He is a past commander of the American Legion and a member of the VFW.

160. Spec Gammon: Interview (28:30)

Date:
2005-06-01
Main contributors:
Gammon, Spec
Summary:
Spec Gammon, U.S. Army, World War II (Interviewed June 1, 2005) Army Infantry Tech Sergeant Spec Gammon was the long-time Sports Information Director at Texas A&M, but long before that, he fought as an Army Infantry soldier in World War II in Europe. He was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. He speaks highly of the British soldiers he met and people who endured so much destruction during the war, and he recalls the weather during the Bulge. “I’ve never been so cold in my life”, he says.

161. George Cox: Interview (27:49)

Date:
2005-05-04
Main contributors:
Cox, George
Summary:
George Cox, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed May 4, 2005) 23-year-old tank commander George Cox of rural Brazos County, was a member of the 746th Battalion when he starred the horror of the war straight in the face. June of 1944 was when George Cox was one of those who lived to tell the story of D-Day and the stand made at beaches called Juno, Gold, Sword, Omaha and Utah. He recounts the final months of the war, when he earned his Purple Heart and Silver Star as a player in five major battles.

162. Bob Pardo: Interview (29:08)

Date:
2005-04-27
Main contributors:
Pardo, Bob
Summary:
Bob Pardo, U. S. Air Force, Vietnam (Interviewed April 27, 2005) Bob Pardo of College Station was an F4 Phantom pilot during the Vietnam war. He obviously has many stories to tell of his service. But the one story that stands above all is the story known as "Pardo's Push". Enough said. You can Google it or listen to him tell the story here. It is an incredible one.

163. Randy South: Interview (28:32)

Date:
2005-04-20
Main contributors:
South, Randy
Summary:
Randy South, U.S. Marines, Gulf War (Interviewed April 20, 2005) January 16, 1991, is a day few of us should ever forget. We were glued to our televisions watching the invasion of Kuwait. It was the start of Operation Desert Storm and Randy South was there as a mortarman, with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.

164. Vic Reid: Interview (27:41)

Date:
2005-04-13
Main contributors:
Reid, Vic
Summary:
Vic Reid, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam (Interviewed April 13, 2005) ​June 18th, 1972 , as a member of the 16th Special Ops Squadron of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Royal Thai AFB in Thailand, Col. Vic Reid was flying his 44th Aerial Combat Mission over the A Shau Valley in South Viet Nam. That was also the first Father’s Day he would observe as a Dad. The celebration would have to wait and very nearly did not happen at all. It was the night his AC-130 Gunship’s wing was shot off. The next 18 hours, he’ll never forget.

165. Eddie Thompson: Interview (27:46)

Date:
2005-04-06
Main contributors:
Thompson, Eddie
Summary:
Eddie Thompson, US Navy, World War II (Interviewed April 6, 2005) At age 97, Eddie Thompson was the oldest veteran interviewed on KAMU's Veteran's of the Valley. His life spanned both World War I and World War II. He joined the Navy in 1942 at age 35. He served in the Pacific on the deck of the USS Birmingham. He was on the Birmingham at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was also on board May 4, 1945, when a Japanese suicide plane hit next to Eddie Thompson's cabin. Eddie Thompson was the uncle of KAMU host, Sharon Colson.

166. Frank Kocman: Interview (27:49)

Date:
2005-03-25
Main contributors:
Kocman, Frank
Summary:
Frank Kocman, U.S. Army, WW II (March 25, 2005) It was December 1944 and America's involvement in World War II was in its fourth winter. Rewind seven months and teenager Frank Kocman Jr. had just graduated from Stephen F Austin High School and Uncle Sam was already calling. In fact Frank needed a student deferment just to finish high school. By July, 18-year-old Frank Kocman was drafted and was on his way to Fort Sam Houston and on to what he thought training to fight the Japanese in the South Pacific but that changed.. It was a fast track from high school to the front lines of the war.

167. Glenn Morgan: Interview (29:46)

Date:
2005-03-16
Main contributors:
Morgan, Glenn
Summary:
Glenn Morgan, U. S. Navy, World War II (Interviewed March 16, 2005) Glenn Morgan served aboard the USS Indianapolis, he was one of its buglers. He was a board that fateful ship when it was torpedoed and sunk in the Pacific Ocean, 30 July 1945, after delivering the parts of the bomb to Tinian island. Glenn Morgan was one of 317 survivors who floated for four days and four nights floating in the Pacific, fighting off shark attack and exposure to survive. This is one of the most remarkable stories of World War II. Glenn Morgan -- survivor USS Indianapolis.

168. John Millholland: Interview (29:18)

Date:
2005-03-09
Main contributors:
Millholland, John
Summary:
John Millholland, U. S. Air Force, Vietnam (Interviewed March 9, 2005) When he was searching for his purpose, John Millholland and his buddies started watching military aircraft take off. He was hooked and decided he was going to join the Air Force and he was going to fly. In March 1966 he was a fighter pilot, a top gun, strapped to the back of an F4. He will never forget Christmas Day of 1966. It is a remarkable story of survival.

169. Jim Cooper - part 1: Interview (28:11)

Date:
2005-03-01
Main contributors:
Cooper, Jim
Summary:
Dr. Jim Cooper, U.S. Navy, WW II (Interviewed March 1, 2005) Dr. Jim Cooper practiced medicine in the Brazos Valley for nearly 60 years and was a Navy doctor who served from ship to ship during both World War II and Korea. He is quick to say that he did not serve in combat during either year but was instrumental in saving the lives of those who did.

170. Rick Oliveras: Interview (28:09)

Date:
2005-03-01
Main contributors:
Oliveras, Rick
Summary:
Rick Oliveras, Air Force, Vietnam (Interviewed March 1, 2005) Rick Oliveras was involved in intelligence during the Vietnam war. He specialized in photo intelligence interpretation. Rick Oliveras is a long time officer and supporter of the VFW post in Bryan Texas.

174. Memorial Service for Alan B. Shepard Jr (1:15:00)

Date:
1998
Main contributors:
Shepard, Alan B. (Alan Bartlett), 1923-1998
Summary:
Memorial service for Alan B. Shepard, Jr., held August 1, 1998. Speakers at the service are: Peter B. Vanderhoef, Christopher C. Kraft, Jr.,John H. Glenn, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, James A. Lovell, Jr., Lisa Beeson, and Daniel S. Goldin.

175. Apollo 13 Retrospective-The Real Stuff (1:03:00)

Date:
1995-08-26
Main contributors:
Kranz, Gene
Summary:
Filmed at the 1995 Johnson Space Center Open House. A panel, comprised of Apollo 13 mission flight controllers discuss the mission and take questions from the audience. On the panel are Gene Kranz, Gerald Griffen, Jerry Bostick, and John Aaron. The panel is hosted by Sue Garman.

180. Flying the Apollo Missions, part 1 (2:01:00)

Date:
1989
Main contributors:
Lunney, Glynn S.
Summary:
The third in a lecture series marking the 20th Anniversary of the Apollo Missions. The panel features Glynn Lunney, Cliff Charlesworth, Gerald Griffin, and Steve Bales; it is moderated by Joe Allen. The lecutre is focused on mission control and planning for mission operations during the Apollo Missions.

181. Flying the Apollo Missions, part 2 (19:17)

Date:
1989
Main contributors:
Lunney, Glynn S.
Summary:
The third in a lecture series marking the 20th Anniversary of the Apollo Missions. The panel features Glynn Lunney, Cliff Charlesworth, Gerald Griffin, and Steve Bales; it is moderated by Joe Allen. The lecutre is focused on mission control and planning for mission operations during the Apollo Missions.

183. Flight Festival 87, Gerry, et al (03:38)

Date:
1987?
Summary:
Commercial spots for the Houston Gulf Flight Festival '87, which ran from September 19-20 at the Houston Gulf Airport in League City, Texas

185. U.S. Space Foundation (04:16)

Date:
1987
Main contributors:
Reagan, Ronald
Summary:
Ronald Reagan's speech given on January 28, 1987 to commemorated the Challenger 7 disaster. The captured video quality reflects the quality of the original object.

187. The Space Shuttle Saga: Columbia (05:27)

Date:
1981-04
Summary:
Promotional video for the Columbia shuttle launch that took place on April 12, 1981. Features the launch, work on board the shuttle, mission control, and the shuttle's return to Earth on April 14, 1981 after orbiting the Earth 36 times.

188. SL4F00166 (10:47)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew: Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue onboard of Skylab 4.

189. SL4F00169 (10:20)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue performing experiments onboard of Skylab 4. Includes footage of the Sun and Earth captured from the station.

190. SL4F00172 (08:13)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue performing experiments onboard of Skylab 4.

191. SL4F00173 (10:51)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue performing experiments onboard of Skylab 4. Includes footage of a spacewalk.

192. SL4F00178 (10:51)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue performing experiments onboard of Skylab 4. Includes footage of Earth and a spacewalk.

193. SL4F00180 (11:01)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue performing experiments onboard of Skylab 4.

194. SL4F00181 (11:05)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue performing experiments onboard of Skylab 4.

195. SL4F00186 (10:50)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue performing experiments onboard of Skylab 4.

196. SL4F00188 (10:09)

Date:
1973?
Main contributors:
Carr, Gerald P.
Summary:
Footage captured, using the onboard camera, showing the crew Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue performing experiments onboard of Skylab 4.

197. SL3F00120 (11:02)

Date:
1973-10-11
Main contributors:
Bean, Alan, 1932-2018
Summary:
Footage captured, using the Data Acquisition Camera (DAC), showing the crew Alan Bean, Own Garriott, and Jack Lousma performing experiments onboard of Skylab 3.

198. SL3F00126 (11:05)

Date:
1973-10-11
Main contributors:
Bean, Alan, 1932-2018
Summary:
Footage captured, using the Data Acquisition Camera (DAC), showing the crew Alan Bean, Own Garriott, and Jack Lousma performing experiments onboard of Skylab 3.

199. SL3F00095 (03:40)

Date:
1972-10-24
Summary:
Footage showing preparation of the Skylab orbital workshop.

200. Apollo 16 - - 9 (09:13)

Date:
1972-04-27
Main contributors:
Young, John, 1930-2018
Summary:
Footage captured during the Apollo 16 mission showing the surface of the Moon. Footage was taken from inside the Lunar Roving Vehicle.