- Welcome to the Palm Springs Air Museum, and to this very special hanger dedicated to Vietnam veteran major General Kenneth P. Miles.

It's here surrounded by the aircraft that carried so many into the fight that we begin a different kind of journey.

The Vietnam War divided a nation for those who served on the front lines.

It left memories that would last a lifetime.

- So I was supposed to have been in that aircraft that day, and that day Kevin didn't come back.

- But war is not where their stories end in Vietnam - After the fire, we meet 14 men who lived through the jungles, the ambushes, and the long nights of a war.

Half a world away.

- I ejected my co-pilot ejected.

Our parachutes opened, and we came floating down over enemy territory, and that was the beginning of a nearly six years saga.

- Their stories don't end with hardship, they end with resilience.

You don't lose till you quit trying.

And even a few familiar faces, you may know four times Super Bowl champion for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Vietnam Vet Rocky Bleier.

- I bless myself and thank God that I was born and raised here in this country, being able to take advantage of what, what was line before you with those opportunities that exist.

- And the Wonder Years actor, Dan Lauria, who began his journey, not on television, but in uniform.

- I went up to the creators and I said, is there any way we can make him a veteran, a Marine?

- These are stories of courage, not only in war, but in life after it.

Because when the fire of battle faded, what remained was their strength, their resolve, and their legacy for Palm Springs Air Museum Productions.

I'm Joe Montia, and this is VIETNAM.

After the fire, the war ended, their stories didn't - Retired Captain Charlie Plum in Vietnam, I was Lieutenant jg.

I'm promoted twice while I was a prisoner of war.

Didn't know it.

So came back and Lieutenant Commander, my unit was VF one 14, the Aardvarks, an F four squadron flying off the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk.

- Captain Charlie Plum calls his life the American Dream - When I was a little kid living in Kansas on a farm there.

And I would see these Piper Cubs fly over and I would wonder, how does that work?

And will I ever be able to ride in an airplane?

And I, I really didn't have any ambition to ever flying one, piloting an airplane.

82 years later, I'm still fascinated with flight.

- After graduating from the Naval Academy, he trained at Miramar in San Diego, flying the first adversarial missions that would grow into Top Gun.

- We had the wrong airplane for that war because it was a war.

We were fighting this pesky little migs, which were lighter and slower, but they could turn faster.

So the next several months we'd get out, you know, 30, 40 miles off the coast and turn around and dog fight with the F four.

That became a syllabus within the Replacement Air group, which spun off to its own squadron and became Navy Fighter Weapon School, which Tom Cruise called Top Gun.

So - A year later with Fighter Squadron one 14 aboard the USS Kitty Hawk plumber flew the Navy's hottest jet, the F four Phantom, completing 74 combat missions over North Vietnam and more than 100 carrier landings.

- You know, nobody can, nobody can hurt us now.

Well, they saw us coming.

I think eight F four fans were shot down that day, and I was one of 'em.

I ejected my co-pilot ejected.

Our parachutes opened and we came floating down over enemy territory.

And that was the beginning of a nearly six years saga in the prison camp.

- Since his return home, plum has captivated more than 5,000 audiences and almost every industry around the world with stories that parallel his PLW experience with the challenges of everyday life.

- My mantra is adversity is a horrible thing to waste.

Can this message give people hope?

When I speak to, to young people or at all audiences, I try my best to appeal to their challenges.

Even with all those challenges, the choice is still yours.

Okay?

I sat down in a restaurant in Kansas City not so long ago, about two tables over.

A guy kept looking at me and I didn't recognize this jet.

He stood up, this guy walked over to my table, he pointed it at me and he said, you're Captain Plum.

You're that guy.

You flew jet fighters from Vietnam.

He said, part of that top gun outfit in Miramar, California, you were shot down off the Aircraft Carrier Kitty Hawk.

You parachuted in the enemy hands.

You spent six years as a prisoner of war, somewhat dumbfounded.

I looked up at this guy and I said, how in the world did you know all that?

He finally broke into a smile, and he said, because I packed your parachute.

The guy grabbed my hand, he pumped my arm, and he said, I guess it worked.

I said, indeed did.

My friend, and I must tell you, I've said a lot of prayers of thanks for your nimble fingers, but I had no idea I'd ever had the opportunity expressing my gratitude in person.

He said, no, I don't keep track of all the parachutes I pack.

It's enough gratification for me just to know that I've served until one day my parachute came on and he packed mine up for me.

Hey, gang, at the end of the day, isn't that what this business is about is packing parachutes?

So the question becomes, how's your parachute packing coming along?

Who is it that looks to you for strength in time of need?

Maybe more importantly, how's your parachute packed?

- My name is Randy Zahn in Vietnam.

I was a WO one, which is a warrant officer.

I was assigned to Charlie Troop, first Squadron ninth Cavalry of the first cavalry division at Phuoc Vinh.

And I flew attack helicopters.

The AH-1 Cobra and I retired many years later as a W four CW four, - Vietnam left its mark on every man who fought there.

For Randy the war took the life of a close friend, an absence that would haunt him for years.

- July 27th, 1970, we had a meeting every night.

We'd talk about the missions of the day and we'd have crew pairings for the following day.

And my roommate Kevin Frye, was our scheduling officer.

And I had one particular pilot that I did not like flying with.

I wasn't comfortable flying with him.

He scared me and Kevin knew why.

And he came back to the room and he said, I, he says I, I fixed the problem for you for tomorrow.

And I said, what do you mean?

He says, you don't have to fly with this other individual.

And I said, why not?

He said, I'm gonna fly with him and you can fly with one of the other aircraft commanders.

So I was supposed to have been in that aircraft that day and that day, Kevin didn't come back.

- Only later through his writing, would he begin to put into words what the war had taken from him and what it had unexpectedly given back.

- I wrote a book called Snake Pilot, which was never meant to be a book.

In 1981, I went back to visit my folks and my dad handed me this box and all it said was Randy personal on it.

So this box that he gave me was every single letter and every single tape that I had ever sent them from the time I was in flight school, the letters, and then in Vietnam, the cassettes.

- These cassettes would form the basis of his bestselling novel and change the lives of many who read it.

- As I was in San Francisco doing a book signing at a Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association reunion.

And this lady came up to me, she came up to the table and she said, are one of you Randy Zahn?

And I went guilty.

She said, I just, I just wanted to thank you.

And I said, for what?

And she said, giving me my husband back.

And I said, pardon?

Pardon me?

She said, her husband came back and he was a totally changed person.

She says he wouldn't talk about Vietnam, he wouldn't go to reunions, he wouldn't do anything.

And she said, I finally talked him into reading your book.

She says, we finished it and he's here having a great time.

And she says, I finally have the man that I married back.

So to me, that made the effort of writing a book all worthwhile.

- He would later travel the world flying 50 different - Aircraft.

I got to travel to places that I always dreamed of going.

And never in my wildest imagination thought I'd ever get to.

You know, Peruvian, Amazon, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Burma, India, Africa, Kenya, Zambia, all throughout Europe on on the yachts.

It's just been, it is an incredible story - For Randy.

The true meaning of happiness is not measured by what he achieved, but by the love of family and friends.

The bonds that carry us through life's darkest storms and make its brightest moments shine even brighter.

- I mean, there isn't a day that goes by.

I don't tell my wife that I love her.

There isn't a day that goes by when I don't fall in love with her all over again.

The kids, when they were living at the house before they grew up, there would not have been a night that went by that I didn't go in and kiss 'em goodnight, even if they were asleep.

And I tried to instill that in them.

I said, you know, you don't ever be afraid to show your emotions.

I mean, love, love to me is an action verb.

It's a verb, you know?

So it's just not just a word, it's an action.

You know, show it, demonstrate it.

- My name is Rocky Bleier.

B-L-E-I-E-R.

My rank was private first class in the Vietnam.

I was with the Americal Division 196th Brigade fourth of 31st Infantry Charlie Company.

First platoon.

First Squad.

- Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1968, Robert Rocky Bleier's career was put on hold when he was drafted again this time by the US Army and sent to Vietnam.

- One of the equipment guys were, were in the locker room, hollers.

And he said, Hey, Bleier, there's a letter over here for you.

And so I walked over, we had this little table where all the fan mail would be deposited, and it just went through it and oh, pulled it out.

And I opened it up on, unfolded the paper and said, greetings, we like to inform you that you've been inducted into the armed services of your country.

Now, that was the worst fan letter I've ever received.

But anyway, to report the next morning at 8:00 AM to be inducted - There, a grenade left him seriously.

Wounded doctors telling him he'd likely never play football again.

- When all of a sudden in the hilltop there was this machine gun that was set up, obviously started to level the area boy, and the guys were diving left and right.

I rolled over to breach my grenade to get some firepower on that position when I felt a thud in my left leg.

And I got hit for the first time that day, the corner of my eye, I saw a grenade come flying head end over end, and it hit my commanding officer and it bounced off him and rolled between my feet.

And before I could jump and get outta the way it blew up and blew up through my lower legs and my right foot.

- But Rocky refused to quit.

Through relentless determination, he fought his way back onto the Steelers roster, becoming an essential part of their backfield.

- Okay?

I was injured.

Fortunately, I didn't lose a limb, okay?

I didn't lose a foot or a leg or an arm.

And so I've been injured before.

Okay, take some time to heal.

And then you start the workout process.

Getting back to where you were before 1973, I weighed 218 pounds.

I bench pressed 465 pounds.

I squat 600 plus pounds, and I am the leading ground gainer during the exhibition season.

- Against all odds, the soldier turned, running back, helped lead Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl championships, proving that courage doesn't just win battles overseas.

It can win them on the field as well.

- I've gone through, you know, a whole lot of experiences from playing professional sports to being in the military.

Ultimately, no matter what we may do, no man as an island, I mean, we didn't get to where we are by ourselves.

We got here because of someone, something, an opportunity, we got here because of a teacher, a coach, a parent.

We got here because of a drill sergeant.

We got here because somebody took an interest, pushed us along the way, kicked us in the rear end, gave us a hug when we needed it.

And so all our lives, if you think about it, are are, are, are built on that, that that little sense of hope that you can achieve something and, and, and the influence by other people, you know, along the way - For Rocky, it's motivation, perseverance, commitment, authenticity and patriotism that got him to where he is today.

- We here are so fortunate to be able to have government, the opportunities to be able to achieve or to fail.

And I think that's the biggest thing that, that lies before us, is not to waste the opportunities that sit here that this country gives you.

I bless myself and to thank God that I was born and raised here in this country, being able to take advantage of what, what was aligned before you with those opportunities that exist.

- For some, the fire never went out.

It just changed form.

What once fueled survival became purpose.

The drive to build, to love, to give back that same fire carried them home into families they raised and communities, they strengthened proof that courage doesn't end when the shooting stops.

- My name's Mike Hodgson.

My rank in Vietnam by the time I left was Sergeant E-5.

When I first went there, I was with a group called Task Force Delta, and we were attached to 4th Marines, 3rd, 3rd Marine division - In the jungles of Vietnam.

Amid the fire and uncertainty of war, young soldier Mike Hodgson carried more than a rifle.

He carried a sketchbook between missions.

He drew sharp, witty cartoons that captured the daily grind of military life, sending them home under the title with Sergeant Mike.

- And I knew my folks were worried about me going to Vietnam and all that, and I started doodling these stupid little cartoon things to send to 'em so they wouldn't worry.

Then I sent 'em off to her.

Well, my mother took 'em and sent 'em to the local papers and they printed them.

So anyway, she wrote back, says they want some more cartoons.

And I says, good grief.

I really knew nothing about doing cartoons, but I I did a few more.

And then they wanted some more.

And within about a month or two, she wrote me back, I've got you syndicated with Publishers Hall syndicate New York, and they want run your strip six days a week.

As it turned out, it was in about 80 newspapers at the time.

Ran six days a week and ran really till the end of the war.

I just wanted to show you some samples of what the original cartoon strip used to look like.

We used a lot of the names of the people that I worked, worked with.

Of course, we'd always make a little fun of the officers.

We make fun of the Navy, of course we make fun of the coffee, the food we make fun of just everything.

Everybody gets their lumps.

The Smithsonian asked me for a bunch of them for the, the Smithsonian Institute.

And so I sent him some as a, a sample of humor during the Vietnam War on that 13 months in Vietnam.

And I, I can't remember how in the heck I got those things out under certain conditions.

There were, there were times we'd be out on an operation.

One of the largest operations I was on was Operation Double Eagle.

And we were out in the field for well over 30 days off of July.

And I'm not sure how in the heck I did it.

You know, World War II had Bill Maulden, Vietnam got me - After the war.

Hodgson turned that gift into a remarkable career from Penn and Inc.

In the battlefields.

He transitioned to the world's biggest stages in animation.

- And I had a friend of mine who worked for Hanna-Barbera and he says, why don't you just go down there and apply for a job?

I said, I, I, I've never worked in animation.

And lo and behold I got hired and it was one of those things too, where you had 30 days sink or swim.

So I was able to swim.

I was there two or three years and my friend Don says he was gonna go over to Disney.

And I said, well darn it, if you're going Don, I'm gonna go overly there too.

Well I went over and applied to Disney and I got hired.

Don didn't, he had to go back to Hanna-Barbera.

And later on I ended up working on Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, mostly pre-development work.

- What began as a soldier's sketches in the margins of war grew into an artistic legacy that touched generations.

- I started doing my pencil renderings, the Wizards Lair with all kinds of funky stuff around and everything, little telescopes.

And right now I probably have about a hundred and fifty, a hundred seventy five of these.

My real legacy to me is these drawings.

When I'm gone, these will still be here and I think they'll speak to my kids more than anything else.

- My name is Carlos Gimo Cortez Paul, I was in Vietnam as a Warrant Officer 1, I was with the 48th Assault Helicopter Company for two tours.

And I came back once I was released from active duty, I went the Pennsylvania National Guard and retired from the Pennsylvania Guard as a Warrant Officer 4 my story's kind of weird because I was in high school and a friend of mine, real, one of my best friends, we were just, you know, talking about what's gonna happen after high school.

And we knew that bad things were happening, probably draft was gonna come up.

And we both decided to go in the Marine Corps on the buddy system.

He was going out with his girlfriend and the next thing I knew, he came into me and said, I just joined the Marine Corps.

I broke up with my girlfriend.

So the first thing I did was go down to the Marine Corps recruiting state and say, Hey, I want to get in the Marines with Bill here.

And on the buddy system.

He said, it's too late, his paperwork's processed.

So I went next door to the Army recruiter and said, well what, what can I do?

And he says, take this test.

If you pass it, we can guarantee you a spot in Army Flight School.

I thought that was pretty unique 'cause I was either gonna fly or I was gonna walk.

So I fortunately passed the test and, and the rest is history.

Went to basic training and from there I went to Army Flight School.

- Carl's unit was stationed in the Two Corps , which is the mountainous region of Vietnam.

- They had prepped the area and we were coming in and as the first ship went in, I was the second ship in.

As we were coming in, apparently there was some Viet Cong hidden in bunker holes, I guess you wanna call 'em cover logs.

And we took fire and we were shot down and crashed in the crater there.

Once we hit the ground, unfortunately the ship started rolling back down the hill and we had several, our crew members were wounded.

One was was killed - Back home.

Carl would graduate from Penn State and continue to fly helicopters this time for the City of Angels, Los Angeles.

- When I moved from Pennsylvania to California, I was looking to see what was out here for employment and I just happened to see an ad.

I responded to it and was hired for the LA County Sheriff's Sky Night program.

And I flew for them for 25 years.

- In Carl's leisure, he decided to pick up a hobby one with a special nod to his time in Vietnam.

- We were at one of our unit reunions in Texas several years ago, and we went to this outdoor fair, I guess you want to call it craft fair.

My wife saw this lazy Susan, I guess you want to call it.

It was made outta mesquite and it had resin in there and bits of turquoise in there and it was rather expensive.

So I'm just looking at this thing I said I could, I could do that.

On YouTube I figured out how, how to do this and I've been doing, making wood and resin charcuterie boards for about five years now.

And I have 'em up in the Lake Arrowhead Mountain Arts Gallery.

Just something I said I could do that.

And I enjoy doing it.

And even though it's one of the biggest messes you can do with the, the resin and you know, planing everything down and the sanding but it's, it's enjoyable and it takes up my time and keeps me busy.

Oh, my call sign overseas with Joker Nine Zero.

And it was always lucky to me.

I figured that's a, a good, a good sign that I had a lucky call sign and I made it through.

And so I just called myself Joker 90 Woodworks.

- Cortez, a firm believer in country before self.

He did his duty, came home and built a life that matters.

One defined by work, service and quiet pride in where he's been.

- I think the proudest thing is that I did serve in a time when it wasn't popular to do it.

I came back from Vietnam after my second tour.

It still wasn't very popular and joined a National Guard, which was another unpopular thing to do.

Basically we were easy to spot, you know, everybody else had the long hair.

We had the short hair.

That was probably the the thing that I served my country when they called and they needed us and was able to establish such great friendships with all the people I served with that continue today.

- I've always been a rebel in college.

I never belonged to a fraternity.

I've always been an overachiever.

As I get older, I'm more focused on staying healthy 'cause I plan to be around for a while.

My name is Richard Norman Roger.

I was a captain in US Army Special Forces during my time before and after Vietnam.

- On January 30th, 1968, the Tet Offensive erupted across South Vietnam.

In the pre-dawn hours near Pleiku, Army Medic Dick Roger awoke to a firestorm of battle at 5:00 AM - My friend Larry Dring, also Special Forces Captain Infantry.

Larry took about 120 Mountain Yards into Pleiku.

And I went down in the bunker to see what was gonna happen.

- Through chaos and heavy fire, Roger searched for his Captain Larry Dring.

We were getting rounds right on top of us.

And then I heard Larry on the radio.

He said, I'm hit, I'm hit.

And so silence, I thought, well, this is pretty bad.

So I found Larry in the house.

He was lying on the floor, white as a ghost, and his head was in the lap of a good, of a good looking American redheaded lady.

Becky, I thought, she doesn't belong here.

Anyway, I, I stopped the bleeding in Larry's leg and I started intravenous in both arms.

- He pulled tank crewmen from burning vehicles working frantically to save lives, even as the enemy closed in.

- And we made it back to the 71st evac hospital, an Air Force hospital near our Special Forces camp.

And there happened to be a vascular surgeon there, and he repaired the artery.

Larry was AirVac out to Japan, and at the time he was engaged to a lady back in the States.

But he broke off the engagement and he ended up getting married to Becky.

- That day, he saw comrades fall.

He felt the sting of his own wounds, but he never stopped.

His courage and determination under fire earned him the bronze star.

- He was a brigadier general who was in charge of the Saigon area.

So he awarded me the bronze Star.

And then much to my surprise, he awarded me the silver star, which I was not expecting.

- When the guns fell silent, Roger returned home carrying both scars and purpose.

He devoted his life to healing, becoming a cardiologist and founding the cardiology department at Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Desert, California.

- Eisenhower Medical Center was about to open.

I remember going to the inauguration of the hospital.

My father and I went and, and listened to Richard Nixon, who dedicated the hospital, - This magnificent building behind us.

The first of a number that eventually, probably will be built here, memorializes, this man who was a victor in war, but this man whose greatest contribution was to peace.

- In my first day, I saw no patients, nobody, nothing.

And I put out a lot of time and effort to build this office.

The second day in practice, I saw eight patients.

And now my group that I founded sees about 750 patient visits per day.

23 board certified cardiologists and a supporting staff of 171 people.

My life is about many events, but the, the most important four items in my life are my family.

My daughter's about to give birth to my first grandson in two or three days from now.

My good fortune in being able to achieve something in medicine that I could have only dreamt about my health in spite of struggles and many, many bumps in the road, I'm still here.

And the the last thing that I do, even though I've been retired for 27 years, is every day I spent a lot of time helping family and friends and friends of friends where to go, who to see, who not to see and what the future holds for their, their health issues.

I still have my medical license.

I don't charge for my services, but I'm happy to help out every day.

- Coming home wasn't the end of the battle.

It was the start of something deeper.

Rebuilding lives, rediscovering hope.

Learning to live again, one act of kindness, one family dinner, one new beginning at a time.

That's how resilience takes root.

- Frank John Tullo, I was a captain as a matter of fact.

I got shot down the day I became a captain.

At just 25 years old, Frank made, but there was no time for celebration Man, they put up a bunch of fire.

And I, I didn't feel anything, but I heard something and I looked back into the cockpit and it had a red fire alert.

I was not about to eject right over Hanoi.

And then all of a sudden, after about seven or eight minutes, it stopped responding to the controls and I had to get out.

I reached down and pulled the handles up.

When you pull the handles up, the canopy goes, it's all automatic.

Finally, I went ahead and squeezed the triggers and ejected.

I don't remember anything.

I blacked out.

The next thing I know, I was in my parachute.

I didn't see the flight that I was in.

I didn't see what happened to my airplane.

So I must have been out for quite a while.

- No one had been picked up further north than Frank.

But that didn't change his optimism.

- There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I was gonna get out of there.

So I mean, obviously there was a doubt in my mind.

Frank's rescue - Was literally the rescue that changed history.

The very first Jolly Green CH-3C helicopter pickup, - and the farthest north.

We ended up with, I was rescued.

We had two POWs and three killed in action - After the war.

Frank flew for Continental Airlines for 33 years.

It was there that he would meet a flight attendant that would later be his wife.

- One time we were ended up, ended up on the same flight and realized that we were both single and ended up started dating and we, we just hit it off and we dated for quite a while and then got married in 1994.

- My name is Dick Couch.

I was a lieutenant in Vietnam, both the board ship and with the SEAL Platoon from SEAL Team ONE, I spent most of my time in, in the Navy SEALs.

- In Vietnam.

Navy SEAL, Dick Couch, led one of the only successful prisoner of war rescues of the war.

A daring mission that cemented the reputation of America's newest special operations force.

- Back then there were only two SEAL teams, three underwater demolition teams and two SEAL teams.

Team ONE and Team TWO.

Team ONE was on the West Coast and they bore the brunt of Vietnam.

But the, the guys from SEAL Team TWO on the East Coast, they also deployed the, we deployed in 14 man platoons and there was never more than than six platoons and a handful of advisors working there at any one time.

Well, it was very fortunate that I had the right amount of intelligence.

I had a very good first class petty officer who most of us were on our first tour.

He was on his sixth tour and he kind of, through his good offices and bonding with the Vietnamese villagers in the area, found out that there may be a POW camp down this one canal that was pretty much controlled by the Vietcong.

And we, and we were able to get in there the operation of its almost textbook.

We were in among 'em before they knew we were there.

Brief firefight.

And we got out, I think 17 prisoners of war.

- Fewer than 300 SEALs would serve in Vietnam, yet they earned over 800 medals for valor and laid the foundation for Naval Special Warfare as we know it today.

- We were all volunteers.

Most of us, like me, were platoon leaders.

Said, said, if anybody doesn't want to go, let me know 'cause you don't have to.

This is all volunteer work.

So I felt privileged to serve with the guys there.

I, one of one of the few guys who was able to bring all my guys back.

- After combat, Couch carried the mission forward, authoring 23 books that revealed the Warrior's path.

An inspiring audiences as a motivational speaker.

- Being a warrior in the military doesn't mean you're getting shot at all the time and what have you.

It means solving problems day after day after day.

And these are real problems.

All of you in the class of 2007 are gonna have to solve those problems.

- It just seemed a natural thing.

It's kind of a knack.

I never had to work at it that hard.

My first book was SEAL Team ONE and basically I wanted to be like Red Badge of Courage.

You know, a young man has perceptions of war and goes off and has to deal with the reality of it.

Also, Stephen Coonts' Flight of the Intruder, he was able to put you in that cockpit of that A-6.

My job was to a young man coming of age, having to learn the business, but also to put the reader in the squad, SEAL squad file and take 'em on missions.

And with that in mind, I decided I could write a book.

I got into nonfiction work and that's where what really made my career was the nonfiction work and special operations training.

'cause this is difficult business, special operations training, SEAL training, and also, Ranger, Green Beret and Marine commando training.

They're all very difficult venues.

You better be sure that's what you want to do when you go into it, because if you have any reservations, chances are that training's not gonna work out well for you at all.

- From the jungles of Vietnam to the written page in the podium, Dick Couch's legacy is one of courage, leadership and enduring impact.

- The best compliment I've had in my writing business is somebody says, darn you.

I was up till three o'clock in the morning finishing a novel that you had written.

And that's the best compliment I could get.

I was proud to have been a Sea... Naval Academy graduate.

I was proud to have been a Navy SEAL, very proud to be an former intelligence officer and I'm, I got to live it all again, being a, a novelist and a and a writer of nonfiction works too.

So I've been very fortunate and I consider myself very blessed.

- My name is Joe, J-O-E Genova, G-E-N-O-V-A Junior.

I went into the Marine Corps in 1966 and when I was in Vietnam, I was the first lieutenant when retired.

I was a, a major - Joe Genova had different plans for his life before Vietnam.

- No, I was gonna become a dentist and then I then decided to fly airplanes.

I was in a San Gabriel draft board and they weren't making their quotas.

And I had a deferment for four years in college.

So when I graduated, they said, you're coming in.

And I said, I'm going to Marquette.

They said, no, we can't.

We don't, we're not, we're not meeting our quota.

You gotta go.

So I took the aviation test mid, mid-semester in our senior year and passed it.

And I remember the major that gave it to me.

And I called him up in Portland.

He says, we were supposed to have three recruits in there, and you ended up being 11 recruits in there.

What happened was we were all getting ready to graduate.

So all my, my pledge class, we just, there was 11 of us, five of us ended up in Vietnam.

And so they signed me up and I went to the 41st Officers Candidates School in Quantico.

And then when we finished that and went down to Pensacola.

- Joe would later fly the CH-46 Sea Knight.

Nicknamed the Phrog, the CH-46 was one of the most recognizable and heavily used helicopters of the Vietnam War.

- Did any anything and everything you asked, including inserts into jungles, sea rescues, air land, rescues, mountains.

It, it was absolutely wonderful.

- Major Genova was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery during Operation Meade River in 1968.

- We were intruding on a large area that the NBA had.

We flew six inserts to get our troops in along the river.

We started with 13 helicopters and then we added three more to a total of 16.

And there were only three helicopters left flying at the end of the day.

A lot of every, we had a lot of people get shot down.

- After the war.

Joe was presented with many life-changing opportunities.

- I had a opportunity to fly for United Airlines and we were gonna be stationed in, in Chicago.

And I asked, I said, well, my family is in Los Angeles, in Orange County area.

I said, they said, well, we'll keep you out there until you break in for a year and then we'll transfer you to Los Angeles as your hub.

Sitting at home with my father at his bar.

And he says to me, he said, no, really, what do you wanna do?

And I said, this is an Italian family, okay.

I said, what do you need?

And my dad, my dad, he was one of the first people to start exporting to citrus, to the orient, to the Pacific realm.

He said, I really need some help.

I really need some help.

I said, if you need me, fine.

And then he said to me, he said, Joey, he said, if, if you do real well, you can buy your own airplane.

Okay?

We ended up with three.

We're basically, the company is GenCon Consulting.

We started off consulting.

Okay.

Mainly going to retailers and telling them, well this is what your stands look like.

They, maybe you should do this, do this to improve your sales with it.

So then we got into a situation where we started giving advice to a lot of growers down in Coachella Valley, Texas, Florida, Northern California.

A lot of fun and very profitable at the time.

- His experience in farming would later give him a newfound appreciation for the South Vietnamese people.

- I really respected and liked tremendously the Vietnamese people for what they were going through.

Not talking about the VC or the nv, I'm talking about the South Vietnamese people because I could relate to them because they were all farmers.

The affection I had for the people and, and what they could, what they would do for us when they could.

I took away from it.

Another area was the camaraderie with, with the squadron that I was in.

We were all very close.

The camaraderie in a squadron in a conflict.

It's just, it's amazing.

It's amazing.

It's something you never forget.

- The war forged a brotherhood time could never break even decades later it's there.

And a phone call, a helping hand, a story shared with younger generations, that bond still carries them forward, reminding all of us what loyalty truly means.

- Robert Lilac, Vietnam 435th TAC Fighter Squadron, stationed first tour at Daang Air Base in Vietnam.

Second tour at Udarn Air Base in Thailand.

I was a captain and then later on got, came back and got promoted on up to Colonel.

F-100's I flew straight outta pilot training and then went to Europe for three and a half years.

Came back to 104's up here at Victorville, California.

And that's when I transitioned into the 104.

And that's the airplane I went to Vietnam in the F-104.

I consider the F-100 to be a great little airplane.

I've got close to 2000 hours in it.

I really like that airplane.

But it was more like a, a Ford F-150 could do its job, could carry anything you wanted anywhere.

Whereas the F-104 had little tiny wings, but went like a bat outta hell.

I mean, it was a Mach 2 plus airplane more than twice the speed of sound.

F-104 was more like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini as far as acceleration was concerned.

- In lilacs first tour of Vietnam, he was flying patrol missions in Da Nang.

But things would soon heat up in his second tour In September of 66, - My flight commander, Norm Schmidt, took off about 15 minutes in front of me, went to the southern part of North Vietnam.

Weather was pretty bad.

He got down onto the weather, dropped his ordinance on the target, and was hit by a whole bunch of anti-aircraft fire and had to eject.

He ejected, got on the ground.

So he was captured by the bad guys.

Taken to Hanoi, almost a year to the day later, while a prisoner in Hanoi Hilton, he was taken away for interrogation that did not come back.

We believe he was tortured to death.

- Bob would continue his career in the Air Force for a total of 25 an a half years, including a stint in the Pentagon working at the White House for President Reagan on the National Security Council staff.

- He made a very, very quick decision.

After the hostages were take brought back from Iran to help our allies in the region, he decided to approve a sale of the AWACS, the Airborne Warning And Control System airplane to Saudi Arabia to enhance their defense against threats from countries like Iran.

The White House dragged me as the Saudi Arabia program manager over to the White House to help President Reagan tell the story of why the sale of the AWACS to Saudi Arabia was in our national security interest.

- Bob went on to become a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, a place he would forever etch his name into aviation history.

- I was instructor pilot for a little while at Luke Air Force Base.

And then I was selected after applying to the aerospace research pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base, now known as a test pilot school.

But uniquely at Edwards, I did get to fly the NF-104, which was a, the airplane that you might recall in the movie, The Right Stuff.

Chuck Yeager jumped out of that after he got in trouble at a hundred thousand feet.

There were three airplanes built.

He jumped outta one.

There were two left.

I got to be selected as one of the first guys to be able to fly the NF-104 at Edwards.

So in 1968, I flew that NF-104 to 101,830 feet and got the airplane back and I got to a great job testing airplanes.

Got to fly the first A-7D, the Air Force got, did the all-weather testing on that.

Ran the F-5E test program, which is an international fighter that most of the top gun programs, both the fighter weapon school at Nellis and the Navy top gun schools all wanted that airplane to fly as their main aggressor airplane.

'cause it was a great pilot's airplane.

But I did run that test program for several years and that was a lot of fun.

- George Forrest, Captain, Company Commander, A Company, one 5 Cav, 1st Cavalry Division - In the crucible of La Drang, Captain George Forrest was the only African American company commander.

- When the bullets are flying, they don't care what color you are and your soldiers don't care what color you are as long as you, as long as they think you know what you're doing.

- The fight became one of the bloodiest single days of the war.

155 Americans killed in just hours.

- I had 17 KIA killed in action, 42 wounded and one missing.

So we started to look around, we couldn't find any, any evidence or information about him being evacuated to a hospital.

So that following year in April, Hal Moore, who's the author of the book, We Were Soldiers Once, we went back in and we found his body or what was the remains, which is one of those demons that I've dealt with over years.

- But even amid the chaos, Forrest found clarity, the kind his father had instilled integrity, fairness, and purpose.

When the war ended, those lessons became his compass.

- My father told me that failure is not an option.

If you're smart and you play by the rules, in most cases you will be successful.

And that's, that's the story of my military.

I mean, I have had some excellent assignments and it wasn't based on my race, it was based on my ability.

And it doesn't matter what you look like, it's about what you know and how much you can contribute to the organization and your value to the organization.

And this has been the story of my life.

This is why I am, you know, you talk about chosen people, I'm one of those chosen guys, - I mean, decorated for gallantry.

He came home to lead again this time rebuilding lives, restoring pride, and inspiring others with the same courage that had defined him in battle In hindsight, when I look in my rear view mirror, I see me an African American man who could still be cutting tobacco at 88.

Instead, I retired from the military.

I coached football, which was the joy of my life.

I have four sons who are successful.

I come from a family of educated people.

All of my brothers and sister, are college graduates, all of their children are college graduates.

And we wear this bracelet that says WWPD and what would Poppy O do?

And that was the nickname.

That's what we used to call my father.

So that's what I'm most proud of, to be an American.

- My name is Gary L. Lucas.

The L stands for Lee.

In 1966, January, I went to Vietnam on my first tour with the 162nd Assault Helicopter Company.

And I was a helicopter maintenance tech inspector.

And I later went on to retire with 21 years active service as a Major, 0, pay grade 0-4.

Most of our missions in in helicopters were at low level.

When the infantry men were in contact, we would end up going much lower.

And oftentimes tree top level where you could literally at times see the whites of their eyes.

- Mission after mission, Gary flew into the heart of danger.

675 combat engagements in all.

- I was about a month from coming home on my second tour and a Jeep pulls up alongside the, the helicopter and they came over and said, Hey, you have to go and get in this other helicopter.

There are troops down there in contact with the enemy and there are no other gunships available to go down there and help 'em.

So I did that, that mission.

We got down there and we got into a firefight and our aircraft got hit, my aircraft and I ended up crashing through some trees.

We ended up in a bomb crater.

The Air Force had dropped some bombs in there earlier, and there was a 500 pound bomb crater, which is quite deep.

That was a very traumatic experience.

I took some shrapnel from the hits on our helicopter, and that's where I got the Purple Heart from.

- Gary now speaks to young people on the importance of setting goals and the true definition of success.

- Success is achieving what you really want to do.

That's what I got to do in the military.

- My name is Sammy Lee Davis.

I'm Sergeant First Class (E-7).

The unit I was with is 9th Infantry Division, 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery, C Battery.

Down in the Delta where nothing ever happened.

That's what they told us.

Sammy L. Davis was just 21 years old when he found himself in a remote outpost in Vietnam facing a relentless enemy attack.

So we started - Firing direct fire.

We fired all of our rounds, about 10 clips from an M16, and the river was about 30 meters wide.

So we could see them very well on the other side of the river.

And they could shoot at us.

And we were shooting at them.

And it's just amazing how the, the blast from the weapon, how much that illuminates the area.

But that night, wow, you know, wow.

They'd shoot my blast and I'd shoot at their blast and I was a little bit more accurate.

I'm, I'm the one still here, so... - A cannonier with the 9th Infantry Division.

He manned his howitzer through waves of fire until a recoilless rifle round slammed into his position.

Well, first they shot me in the leg, and I was laying down unconscious basically.

And my guys thought I was dead.

I was laying by my 105 howitzer and here come the enemy again.

So the gun behind me fired a beehive round.

'cause he, they thought that we were all dead and we weren't all dead.

So when they fired the beehive round, that hit me and that woke me up, which really saved my life because the enemy were coming up and shooting us again.

And then stabbing.

They had bayonets on their weapons.

And so getting, getting shot by my guy, saved my life.

- Wounded, he refused to quit forwarding back across under fire to pull his fellow soldiers to safety.

- Gwendell Holloway He jumped up and waved his boonie hat, and said, Don't shoot, I'm a GI.

So I quit firing the howitzer.

And then I knew I had to go get 'em.

So I found my air mattress and I blew it up.

But that was enough to float me across.

And I stashed my hair, air mattress in the weeds.

And when I got to that area, there was a foxhole and there were three men in instead of just one.

Well, I knew I didn't have the strength to carry all three at one time.

So I brought the worst wounded and I put him on my shoulder and started making my way back, got to the river, and then my guys helped get him up out of the water while I went immediately back across.

Well, the other two guys that was over there could hold onto the little piece of air mattress.

It worked fine.

You don't lose till you quit trying - For his extraordinary courage and selfless valor.

That night, Sammy Davis received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for - Bravery.

I just did my job.

I did for my brothers, what I knew they'd do for me.

I had no idea I was going to be put in for the Medal of Honor.

His - Story became a symbol of sacrifice, resilience, and the unbreakable bond between soldiers in combat.

A story he passes on to younger generations today.

They - Are our future.

And if we don't share with them what's important in our hearts, we deserve what we get.

- And was later adapted into a historical theatrical twist to the life of Forrest Gump - Going in and talking to fourth and fifth graders.

But I'll ask them, have you seen the movie Forrest Gump?

Oh - Yeah.

- Well, I'm the real Forrest Gump.

And that opens up a whole quest of, of questions.

And I I love it.

I love it.

- My name is Dan Lauria.

I was Echo Company, 2nd Battalion 4th Marines, 3rd Mar Div.

When I was in Vietnam, I was the first lieutenant.

And when I left the Marine Corps was a Captain - Dan Lauria has worn many uniforms in his life.

Born in Brooklyn, raised on Long Island.

He first made his mark on the football field before answering the Call of Duty.

- I was there just long enough to know that it was a good place to be from - After the war, he turned to the stage channeling discipline and presence into a new craft from small theaters to Broadway.

Lauria earned a claim for roles like Vince Lombardi, where his commanding intensity reflected both coach and soldier.

- They all know that winning isn't everything.

It's the only thing.

Jerry Kramer had a great story.

He said, he screamed and yelled at me.

I I was ready to quit, you know, and I'm in the locker room, I'm literally crying and I have my helmet in my hand.

And he came walking in and I'm the only one there.

I was so depressed I couldn't even get undressed.

And he walked over and I said, if he says something, I'm gonna hit him with this helmet.

And Lombardi came over, rubbed his head like a little kid, and said, you know why I am yelling at you, right?

And he said, no, coach.

Why?

He said, 'cause you're gonna be the best goddamn guard in national football.

He said, forget it.

After that, I'd run through a wall for him.

You know, - But to millions of viewers, he's best remembered as Jack Arnold, the no nonsense father in The Wonder Years, a character that resonated because Lauria infused him with something real.

The grit, humor and love of an American dad, shaped by sacrifice.

- People ask, because I write, they say, did you contribute anything to the Wonder Years as far as the writing goes, I, and the only thing I contributed is the very first meeting after they said I had the job.

We're sitting there reading the pilot, I went up to the creators and I said, is there any way we can make him a veteran?

A Marine?

- Today, Dan Lauria continues to act, write, and advocate especially for the men and women who wore the uniform.

His journey from Marine Corps officer to beloved actor is more than a career.

It is the story of resilience, of storytelling, and of never forgetting where you came from.

- I, I think the more important thing is, especially on stage, you rely on the man next to you.

You know, he, he goes up on his lines.

You gotta be willing to pull him out of it.

You go up, you hoping he's pulling out, you know, in the Marine Corps, your life depends on a guy next to you.

And, and he knows his life depends on yours.

And I thought that was the thing you learned the most.

That helped me in acting.

I don't know, I find veterans, when we're on stage, we're easier to work with.

'cause we like counting on a guy and we know we, they gotta count on us.

So I don't know.

That's, to me, was the best part about it.

- They served on the front lines and in the skies, in Cobras, Hueys, and the deep shadows of covert missions.

Some flew through fire, some carried the wounded, some endured years without freedom.

And yet they found a way to rise above it, to turn trauma into purpose.

Silence into strength and service, into legacy.

Today we honor not just their sacrifice, but the lives they've lived since.

Proof that even after the fire, there can be hope.

And from the hardest battles, new beginnings for Palm Springs Air Museum Productions, I'm Joe Mantegna, and this has been Vietnam.

After the fire, - The following has been a Palm Springs Air Museum Production in association with Jones Agency.