Veterans Chronicles

Robert Saunders, Jr. did not come from a family with a history of military service, but both he and his brother joined the U.S. Marine Corps during some of the most intense fighting in Vietnam. After making it through Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island and infantry training at Camp Geiger. Saunders was assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Marines. He served in Vietnam from 1969-1970.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Saunders tells us about his USMC training, why he was delayed in being deployed to Vietnam, and how the war became very real the first day he was there. He also describes his role as a forward observer on Hill 364 near Da Nang and combat that he faced there.

Saunders also details going on patrols and even into villages trying to pick up intelligence about the NVA or Viet Cong. He also shares what it was like to learn about the moon landing while he was in Vietnam and then meeting the man who took that "giant leap for mankind" just a few months later.

Finally, you'll learn how the hostility toward our returning service members kept Saunders from sharing his story for many years. But he also reveals how opening up and returning to Vietnam in 2025 helped him a great deal.

Pete Walther joined the National Guard to help pay for college but soon realized he enjoyed the Guard much more than school. So he joined the regular U.S. Army and soon pursued Army Special Forces. He became highly trained in explosives and was assigned to Operational Detachment Alpha 595, also known as ODA 595. While still a fresh special operator, Al Qaeda terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. ODA 595 was soon deployed to Afghanistan.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Walther tells us about his journey into U.S. Army Special Forces, what took place between 9/11 and ODA 595's entry into Afghanistan in October 2001, and linking up with the Northern Alliance to fight the Taliban - on horseback.

Walther details how the horses were a huge help in taking the fight to the Taliban, how the overwhelming U.S. firepower left their Afghan allies in awe, what the fighting was like as they closed in on Mazar-i-Sharif, and what it took to force the final enemy forces out of the city. 

Finally, Walther reflects on 25 years since the mission that made "The Horse Soldiers" famous.

Samantha Hargrove joined the U.S. Air Force at the urging of her brother. After training, she soon specialized in combat communications. Hargrove was serving in South Korea when the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks struck our nation on September 11, 2001. Just 18 months later, she was in Iraq. After helping to set up a major communications center near Talil, an explosion caused a traumatic brain injury that would permanently impact her.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Hargrove tells us about her service in Korea and Iraq. She also describes what happened during the explosion that wounded her.

Hargrove then explains how she got much worse before she got better, why she was medically retired, the moment she knew she had to get help, and how programs through Wounded Warrior Project set her on the road to recovery.

Finally, Hargrove shares how she is helping other wounded warriors today.

Mark Nutsch was born into a family with a rich legacy of military service. He also grew up on Kansas farms and ranches around a lot of horses - experience that became very valuable years later. After exploring service in several branches, Nutsch pursued commissioning as an officer in the U.S. Army. Soon after that he was selected and qualified for U.S. Army Special Forces. 

Nutsch was already commander of Operational Detachment Alpha 595 when Al Qaeda terrorists attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001. Within weeks, ODA 595 would be among the first U.S. forces on the ground in Afghanistan and soon were widely known as the Horse Soldiers.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Nutsch walks us through his path to becoming an Army officer and how he valued the training it involved. He also tells us about his memories of the 9/11 attacks and immediately getting ready to go to war.

Nutsch also describes the harrowing helicopter flight into Afghanistan. meeting up with Afghan partner forces, and being shocked to find out they would be riding horses to take the fight to the Taliban.

Finally, Nutsch admits how much he ended up appreciating the horses and how ODA 595, the Afghan allies, and overwhelming U.S. air power crushed the Taliban in short order.

John Allen left college due to bad grades and repeated misconduct after just one semester. He needed direction and purpose. After speaking with two family friends who were high-ranking Navy SEALS, he decided that would be his goal. Allen finished college and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy to pursue the trident.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Allen takes us from a surprisingly tough Navy boot camp to Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL - or BUD/S - training. He explains what the SEAL instructors are really looking for during training, why passing pool comps is so tough, and why a top officer told Allen he would never want to serve with him.

Then, Allen tells us about his time in Afghanistan, including his April 2014 mission on which he almost died. He details the fighting in a village, spending hours under heavy fire, and how he was badly wounded.

Allen, who is widely known now as the podcaster and producer "Mr. Ballen," tells us what happened after he was evacuated and what his corpsman told him later about the day he was wounded.