Veterans Chronicles

Scotty Hasting is now a popular country music singer but his story of service will explain a lot about the performer you see today.Hasting grew up in the Cincinnati, Ohio-Northern Kentucky area and developed immense respect for the U.S. military from the movies and television shows he watched. He enlisted in the Army at age 21, which quickly made him the "old man" in basic training. Hasting wanted to serve in the infantry because he wanted to be in the fight. Just a few months after basic training, he was off to Afghanistan with the 4-4 Cav. In April 2011, Hasting was severely wounded after being shot 10 times by an enemy gunman.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Hasting takes us to the day he was wounded in great detail. He explains how his brothers in the 4-4 Cav responded to his wounds and got him evacuated. He will also share how close he came to dying shortly after everyone in Kandahar thought he was stable enough to fly to Germany. He also tells us about his recovery at Walter Reed and his determination to return to active duty with his unit despite his wounds. Hasting then describes the path that led him to music and a very unlikely career in country music where he focuses a lot on helping veterans. He even shares a powerful story about how one veteran who planned to commit suicide changed his mind after hearing one of Scotty's song. 

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.

You probably know the name Jack Carr as one of our most famous and talented novelists through The Terrninal List and other books in the James Reece series. Before his success as a writer, Carr spent two decades in the U.S. Navy, most of those as a U.S. Navy SEAL and he served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Carr explains how he wanted to become a Navy SEAL since he was seven years old and read about them in many different books. He also walks us through BUD/S training, why he never seriously thought of quitting, and the reason many candidates drop out long after Hell Week.Carr also reveals how he heard about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, why he became an officer, and finally being deployed to Afghanistan. Then he takes us through two tours in Iraq, including tough fighting in Najaf and a CIA-connected assignment focused on deconfliction.Finally, Carr details how he kept the mission and men front and center during his deployments.

Floyd Moreland grew up in Illinois in a family with a very distinguished service record. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 21-years-old because he "wanted to fight with the best." Moreland hated Marine Corps boot camp but enjoyed advanced infantry training. He later pursued USMC Sea School and deployed from the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown during his first deployment in Vietnam.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Moreland walks us through an early assignment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, just a few years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. He then takes on those Marine Detachment missions from the Yorktown and tells us what patrols in the jungles of Vietnam were like. And he shares his favorite part of that deployment - serving as part of the honor guard for actress and singer Ann-Margret when she came as part of a USO show.Then, Moreland describes his second tour, in which he saw a lot of combat near the DMZ - places like Con Thien, Cam Lo, "The Rockpile," and Dong Ha. He also details what it was like being surrounded by the enemy at Con Thien for 30 days.Finally, Moreland explains why he turned down a third tour of duty, the pain of being demonized in his own country, and why he would serve all over again.

In September 2001, U.S. Air Force General Richard Myers was Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. President George W. Bush had recently nominated him to be the next chairman. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Gen. Myers was on Capitol Hill meeting with a key senator when news came that an airplane had hit the World Trade Center. Moments later, after Al Qaeda terrorists flew a second plane into the towers, Myers and the rest of the world knew we were under attack.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Gen. Myers walks us through his day on 9/11, including his reaction to seeing the smoke pouring out of the Pentagon as he returned from Capitol Hill, the debate over whether to shoot down a civilian airliner if it was deemed a threat to lives on the ground, and event at the Pentagon after Pres. Bush's speech that evening.Gen. Myers also takes us inside the national security meetings the day after 9/11 and the following weekend at Camp David and the hasty effort to assemble a military response to the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks.Finally, Myers shares why he's so proud of the initial U.S. military response and what he hopes Americans think about as we mark 25 years since that horrific day.

Sal Cassano was born in New York City. He served in the U.S. Army and did a tour in Vietnam from 1966-1967, But even while he was serving overseas, plans were already in motion for him to become a New York City firefighter when he came home. In late 1969, Cassano joined the FDNY. By September 11, 2001, he was an assistant chief of operations overseeing Manhattan. He would finish his career as FDNY commissioner.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Cassano tells us about his service in Vietnam and becoming a firefighter. He also reveals how he first heard about the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks and why he knew instinctively after the first plane hit the World Trade Center that it was an act of terrorism.Cassano also explains the grisly scene when arriving at the World Trade Center and the flurry of orders he was given when the South Tower came down. He also talks about going to the hospital, immediately returning to work, and finally rejoining his family after almost 48 hours away.Later, Cassano details the challenges at Ground Zero and the sobering task of hiring many new firefighters after losing 343 in the World Trade Center. He also describes what President George W. Bush's visit to Ground Zero meant to the FDNY and what he hopes Americans will reflect upon 25 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.