Veterans Chronicles

Dr. Lyla Kohistany was born in Afghanistan. Her family fled to the U.S. in 1982 to escape Soviet occupation. When the USSR was forced to leave Afghanistan in 1989, her father planned to bring the family back to Afghanistan, and he had also made plans for 12-year-old Lyla that she wanted no part of. With the help of her brother and the U.S. Navy, Kohistany was able to stay in the U.S. 

She would later join the Navy out of gratitude for that help, but just months after being commissioned as a U.S. Naval officer, the U.S. was hit by the 9/11 Al Qaeda terrorist attacks.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Dr. Kohistany shares the powerful stories of her family leaving Afghanistan, struggling to adjust to life in the U.S. and how the Navy played a key role in helping her avoid an undesirable arranged marriage.

She also explains what it was like to see the Taliban take power in Afghanistan in 1996 and to realize, in horror, that the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks were given safe haven by the Taliban.

Kohistany then tells us why she shifted to Navy intelligence after 9/11. She details her deployment to Afghanistan in 2005, returning there as part of the intelligence community in 2011, and her work with U.S. and Afghan special operators.

Finally, Kohistany reveals what it was like to see Afghanistan fall, both as someone with deep roots there and as an American veteran and intelligence official who spent years trying to bring security and freedom there. And she discusses her new role as CEO of Honor the Promise.

Esteban Valenzuela was a talented high school football player and could have continued playing in college. Instead, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1966, while he was still in high school. Several months later, he was in Vietnam on a tour lasting well over a year and took part of some of the intense fighting connected with the enemy's Tet Offensive in early 1968.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Valenzuela takes us into Marine Corps boot camp and how he saw the benefits of that and other training once he was in Vietnam. You'll also hear how he rose in rank and responsibility during his time in Vietnam.

But Valenzuela also describes the heat of intense combat during the Tet Offensive, how losses mounted even though the U.S. successfully repelled the attacks, how Valenzuela lost one of his best friends, and how he responded in that moment.

Valenzuela also explains how a return to Vietnam in 2025 helped to heal some very old wounds.

James Taylor enlisted in the Army in 1956. Several years later, he successfully completed Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned as an Army officer. By 1967, he served as executive officer inside a squadron in the 1st Armored Cavalry that was headed to Vietnam. Later that year, his love and concern for his men under heavy enemy fire led to actions that would lead to him receiving the Medal of Honor.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Taylor shares the life-changing lesson on leadership he learned from his high school football coach, why he joined the Army, and how he made it a priority to turn his unit into a close-knit team.

Taylor also takes us to November 1967 and his actions that are credited with saving many lives during a vicious enemy attack, how he kept going despite being injured, and the selfless prayer he prayed while tending to the wounded.

You'll also hear Taylor's memories about receiving the Medal of Honor in 1968 and how his time with that team in Vietnam still deeply impacts him today.

Richard Coachys went to Indiana University on a football scholarship but also joined the Army ROTC on campus. After commissioning, he expected his early training to be followed by a deployment to Germany. But those plans were disrupted by the Vietnam War, and the young officer was soon leading his platoon on patrols and into combat.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Coachys tells us about his training, his first thoughts upon arriving in Vietnam, and what those early patrols were like. He also takes us into the most intense combat from his time in Vietnam, leading his men under fire, and being wounded by multiple enemy rounds.

Coachys also shares very personal stories about families devastated by losing children in the war and what it was like for him to visit the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Washington for the first time this year.

In our previous episode, we learned how U.S. Air Force pilot Robert Jefffrey was shot down over North Vietnam during his first mission of the war. He suffered burns and spinal injuries as the plane was hit and he ejected. Jeffrey was captured as soon as he parachuted to the ground. After that, he was interrogated, nearly executed, and repeatedly tortured. Today, we hear more of Col. Jeffrey's story, from prison life to his first breaths of freedom after more than seven years of captivity.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Col. Jeffrey tells us about being moved out of Hoa Lo prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton, to other facilities, namely "The Zoo," and Son Tay. He also explains the enemy used food rations to try to turn the Americans against one another and how the prisoners refused to let that tactic work.

Jeffrey also takes us into the many moments of hope for freedom only to have them dashed in disappointment, But he also walks us through the developments when he finally was freed in February 1973. And you'll hear about Jeffrey's return trip to Vietnam decades later and the question he still needs answered.