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Albert Novak, Army/Navy/Air Force, WW II (Interviewed July 26, 2007) Albert Novak served his country in three services, the Army, Navy and Air Force. As a machinist aboard the USS Wasp for two years during World War II, Albert Novak recalls that day in March of 1945, when a 500-pound bomb hit the WASP. He was one of 150 injured, fortunately not one of the 100 who died that day. He was born and raised in Bryan, Texas. (Note: Albert Novak was in the advanced stages of Pancreatic cancer when we recorded the interview and passed away less that 2 months later)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bill Pope, Army Air Corps, World War II (Interviewed Nov. 29, 2007) Bill Pope was a student at Michigan State when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enlisted thinking that the war would be over before he got to the fighting. Bill was a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps during World War II serving as a B-24 Bomber pilot stationed in England. He flew 23 missions over Germany. In 1968, he accepted the position of Associate Dean of Agriculture at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Gordon Pratt, U.S. Navy, WW II (Interviewed Aug. 5, 2010) Not every World War II Veteran served overseas as they had jobs or were being trained for essential jobs stateside. Such was the case for Dr. Gordon Pratt, who joined the Navy in 1943 and was put in the V-12 program. It was a College Training Program that sent future commissioned Officers to colleges and Universities to complete their training and to help the war effort as a result of their education. Between 1943 and 1946, more than 125,000 men were enrolled in V-12. They included such servicemen as Football Coach George Allen, Sen. Howard Baker, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Johnny Carson, and Jack Lemmon.... and a dental student named Gordon Pratt from Dallas. After the war, he served as the dentist for nearly two years on board the USS President Adams, a World War II Transport Ship. And then later at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. Dr. Pratt practiced for 40 years as a dentist in Bryan until he retired in 1997 and one of his five children, Gordon Pratt, Jr., has been a dentist here for nearly 25 years.
Rene Ramirez, Marines, Iraq (Interviewed Dec. 2, 2009) Rene Ramirez served as a 26-year Marine in Norway, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was a radio operator in communications with a tank battalion and the USS Guam. This show focused on his work with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Texas Veterans Commission. He helps operate the College Station Outpatient Clinic for Veterans.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Richard Richardson, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Dec.10, 2009) Richard Richardson of Bryan tells an impressive story of his short time in Europe during World War II, near the end of that campaign in 1945. He talks about that and his training in Triple A (Anti Aircraft Artillery). He was stationed at Camp Wallace in Galveston County when Pearl Harbor was attacked, even shipped to California in case the Japanese attacked the mainland. He arrived in Europe too late to experience combat but served his country proudly. Even at age 95, Richard enjoyed a round of golf twice a week and regularly shot his age or lower.
Taylor Riedel, Army Air Corp, World War II (A&M Class of 1944) (Interviewed October 25, 2007) Taylor Riedel served in the US Army Air Corp and flew 35 missions in a B-17 Bomber. He grew up in Yorktown, Texas, He was called to active duty in 1943. In 1944, he started his service in England flying B-17 bombing runs mostly over Germany. On his 32nd mission, his plane was hit by 88 millimeter anti-aircraft fire. He was a Principal and Superintendent for the A&M Consolidated ISD for 19 years.
Jim Robbins, U.S. Army, Vietnam/Desert Storm (Interviewed May 28, 2009) You can tell by just spending few minutes with Jim Robbins that he is quote proud of his 38 years of military service to our country. And we all should be. A veteran helicopter pilot of the Vietnam War and later in El Salvador and Operation Desert Storm, his federal service included mostly Army duty, but he also had Marine basic training, worked for the Navy, the FAA, and did service in the National Guard. But perhaps his most compelling story, is how his life changed in 1998, three years after he retired from military service.
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.
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.
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.
Jim Saunders, U.S. Army, Vietnam (Interviewed Jan. 22, 2009) For 17 years Jim and Doris Saunders owned and operated Saunders Sausage Shop in South College Station. Since they sold the business in 1983, they’ve enjoyed retirement, much of it viewed out the windows of their well-traveled RV. Jim and Doris met after his World War II service in the 1st Cavalry F Troop; stationed in the Philippines near the war’s end. He was on one of the ships at Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945 when the peace treaty was signed on the USS Missouri and it was his band of brothers in F Company that served as General Douglas MacArthur’s honor guard on his march into Tokyo six days later.
LeRoy Schoenemann, Army Air Corps, WW II (Interviewed Oct.9, 2008) After Leroy Schoenemann graduated from Snook High School in 1941 his first stop, Guadalcanal, as a member of the 64th Troop Carrier Wing piloting C-47s just about everywhere and carrying just about everything. He eventually went from C-47s to B-47s and that was quite a leap. After World War II he was reactivated and spent most of the Korean War at a lonely outpost in Libya. Here is Lt. Col. Leroy Schoenemann.
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.
Mike Sherman, A&M Head Football Coach, Iraq Trip (Interviewed July 20, 2010) This is indeed a special Veterans of the Valley because instead of visiting with a Veteran, Aggie Head Football Coach Mike Sherman and I are going to talk about those who are serving our country right now. In May, Coach Sherman, with the tremendous help of the Aggie Network, had the opportunity to visit Iraq to see first hand the work of the brave men and women there; and to get a personal view of the day-to-day challenges they endure while proudly wearing American military uniforms. And as you can guess, he met with plenty of Aggies on his 6-day stay that took him from Kuwait to Camp Adder, to Camp Victory, to Camp Prosperity. As he wrote in his journal, he discovered the outstanding leadership we have in Iraq, the horrible quality of life the Iraqi people endured for so many years under Saddam Hussein, the passion that our military have for their job and their service, and the passion that they have for football.
Hugh Shockey, U.S. Marines, Korea/Viet Nam (Interviewed November 15, 2007) Hugh Shockey joined the Marine Corp in 1948 at age 17. In the fall of 1950, he was assigned to Inchon, North Korea with the Fifth Marines.
Chuck Sippial, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam (Interviewed March 25, 2010) Chuck Sippial has been a significant part of Texas A&M’s administrative family for some 15 years, as Vice President for Administration and more recently in charge of facilities, where he now works for the A&M System. The story you may not know is that of Colonel Chuck Sippial, United States Air Force officer for 22 years. It was a fascinating career that included a nine-month tour at Pleiku Air Base during the Vietnam War -- also two tours in Europe, first at Madrid, Spain and then later at Ramstein AFB in Germany. He served several stateside tours where his expertise and education as a Civil Engineer paved a path to both his military and civilian careers.
C.O. Smith, U.S. Coast Guard, Korea (Interviewed March 5, 2009) C.O. Smith, Texas A&M Class of 1950, is proud of the role that the United States Coast Guard played in World War II. On board the Coast Guard Cutter Bramble, C.O. Smith spent 4 years at sea, almost making it to Europe before mechanical problems sent them to Puerto Rico to dry dock and then through the Panama Canal and to the Pacific and Alaska, where his crew supplied Navy Seabees who were building the Loran Stations.
Charles Smith, U.S. Army, Vietnam (Interviewed July 16, 2009) Charles Smith grew up in Bryan and graduated from E.A. Kemp in 1960. He served 20 years in the U.S. Army and 22 years with the Postal Service. In the Army between 1960 and 1981, He served one tour in Vietnam as a Recon Squad Leader but his duty was cut short by a bout with Malaria. He also served four tours in Germany and one in South Korea.
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.
Mike Southerland, U.S. Army, Vietnam (Interviewed Jan. 26, 2011) The Brazos Valley and particularly residents of Bryan know Mike Southerland for his service on the Bryan City Council since 2006. Many others though know of his 22 1/2 years of military service in the U.S. Army. One year of that, from Feb 1969 to Feb 1970, was spent as a chopper Pilot in Vietnam, flying some 900 hours of mainly what they called Ash and Trash missions between Chu-Li and 80 miles south of Da Nang. There are some stories to tell of reconnaissance, transport and occasional assault. After Viet Nam, Mike Southerland spent another 19 years in uniform, ending his military career stationed at Bryan’s 420th Engineering Brigade, under General Al Jones.
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.
Dr. Douglass Starr, U.S. Navy, WW II (Interviewed April 17, 2008) Dr. Douglass Starr’s World War II service all happened before he turned 20 years old. But he packed a lot into those 3 1/2 years. A navy sonarman who serve with honor aboard the proud destroyer USS Nicholas DD-449. He was a Texas A&M journalism professor until the age of 83. Douglass Starr has many stories to tell of not only his World War II service but in Korea aboard the Destroyer USS Walke -- And perhaps the most fascinating was his eyewitness to history. On 2 September 1945 in Tokyo Bay, the signing of the surrender by the Empire of Japan aboard the USS Missouri. You see the Nicholas was moored right alongside Big Mo on that historic day.
Dr. Douglass Starr, U.S. Navy, WW II (Interviewed April 17, 2008) Dr. Douglass Starr’s World War II service all happened before he turned 20 years old. But he packed a lot into those 3 1/2 years. A navy sonarman who serve with honor aboard the proud destroyer USS Nicholas DD-449. He was a Texas A&M journalism professor until the age of 83. Douglass Starr has many stories to tell of not only his World War II service but in Korea aboard the Destroyer USS Walke -- And perhaps the most fascinating was his eyewitness to history. On 2 September 1945 in Tokyo Bay, the signing of the surrender by the Empire of Japan aboard the USS Missouri. You see the Nicholas was moored right alongside Big Mo on that historic day.
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.
Larry Stewart, U.S. Navy, Vietnam (A&M Class of ‘65) (Interviewed Sept. 8, 2009) Most local folks know Larry Stewart today for his public service as a member of the College Station City Council. But long before he ever even thought about entering local politics, he served 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a Pilot, most of those years flying the P-3 Patrol Plane. A 1965 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, the first six months of his service was flying missions out of the Philippines to Vietnam during the war. The remaining 19-plus years sent him most anywhere there was an 8,000-foot runway. He spent 2 1/2 years based on the carrier USS Lexington. “The Lex” as it’s well-known today to many a tourist to the Corpus Christi Bay area. It’s a fascinating military career.
Bill Stroman, U.S. Marines, Korea (Interviewed May 29, 2008) Bill Stroman packed a lot of living his long life, and a significant part of his journey was his tour of duty as an advisor for a Korean Marines unit during the Korean War. His action came in a four-deuces unit, that's the 4.2 inch mortar launcher. Before and after, Bill Stroman attended three colleges, graduated and spent most of his postwar career as a football coach. He spent 18 years over two different stance at Jourdanton High School near San Antonio and also coached at Humble and Ganado. Bill and Nancy Stroman were named Aggie Parents of the Year in 1980. Bill Stroman was a United States Marine.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hazel Von Roeder, U.S. Air Force, WW II/Korea (Interviewed Jan. 27, 2010) As much as she wanted to, and even volunteered to.... Hazel Von Roeder’s tours of duty during World War II and Korea never sent her overseas. But as any veteran will tell you, stateside service was just as essential to the war effort as any other. Hazel’s skills as an Army nurse took her to Fort Bliss’ famed William Beaumont Army Hospital during World War II, an then to Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio as a Flight Nurse with the 1734th MATS during the Korean Conflict. Her story of service is indeed one of courage and dedication.
James Wade, U.S. Army, WW II (Interviewed Aug.6, 2009) James Wade arrived in Europe and there was only two more months of fighting and left in World War II. But in that short time, plus the time he spent there in occupational duty, he saw plenty of what now you read about in history books. That included serving guard duty over the witnesses of the Nuremberg trials. The stories don't in there. Here is James Wade of College Station.
David West, U.S. Navy, Vietnam (Interviewed Nov. 19, 2009) David West joined the Navy and started out chasing hurricanes from 1956 to 1958. Later he says as a Navy Seal he was wounded in Vietnam but says that chasing hurricanes was some of the scariest stuff he did in the service. He was sent to Vietnam in February 1969 Landing in Saigon. Wounded in Vietnam before training in Vietnam he was at Malta training with the British Navy. David West lived in Navasota before his death.
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.
Mark White, U.S. Army, Iraq (A&M Class of 2003) (Interviewed December 4, 2008) Mark White was deployed in Iraq as a member of Alpha Company 111th Engineer Battalion. His job was security, as he helped arrange and provide security for visiting government officials, Presidents, and even Hollywood stars. The detail involved in these visits will surprise people. It was his job to make sure the visits went smoothly.
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.
Freddie Wolters, U.S. Army, World War II (A&M Class of 1944) (Interviewed April 10, 2008) Freddie Wolters served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima before his unit would have been deployed for a bloody ground fight, but still he has stories to tell, many of how he didn't always do things by the book. He was a freshman member of Homer Norton's 1940 A&M football team.
James Woodall, Navy/Army, Korea/Vietnam (A&M Class of 1950) (Interviewed January 17, 2008) James Woodall tried to enlist at the age of 15, even as a youth raising money to help the British fight off the Germans. He did enlist in the Navy Reserves in 1947 and retired in 1982, a 35 year military career that took him to Germany, Korea, Vietnam, and the Army War College in Pennsylvania. He was Commandant of the A&M Corp of Cadets until his retirement.
Keith Youngblood, U.S. Army, Iraq (Interview August 20, 2009) Keith Youngblood packed an incredible life of service into the 20 years between 1987 and 2007. His service started in Germany, continued with 5 months in Operations Desert Storm, and back to Iraq for Operation Intrinsic Action. He served two years working part-time in President Clinton's Communications Detail, three years back at A&M as a Military Advisor, and finally back to Iraq for 13 months as a Military Marksman in a Roving Sniper Unit. Keith Youngblood also tells his personal story of battling PTSD.
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".
