• Kazuo Yamaguchi: A Nisei Soldier of World War II

    Because Kazuo Yamaguchi was a Japanese American, the U.S. Army initially turned him away from a recruiting station during World War II. Yamaguchi was later drafted into the service, where he developed a sense of duty, honor, and an appreciation for his heritage.

  • Paula M. Neira: Navy, Nurse, Lawyer

    Paula M. Neira believes that her greatest service for the country and the Navy has come after she put away her uniform. Before she became a nurse, lawyer and advocate, she was an officer in the Navy. Neira had to sacrifice her naval career when she accepted that her gender identity didn’t align with the sex assigned at birth.

  • Jonathan Hagerman: Life behind bars

    Marine Corps Veteran Jonathan Hagerman founded the Dirt Therapy Project with his wife, Alexandra. Their nonprofit helps Veterans by connecting through mountain biking.

  • #OperationSong: Zach and Kassie Peterson

    In their song “The Same War,” Army Captain Zach Peterson and his wife Kassie wrote about the strain couples face throughout deployments and their pursuit toward the same goal: a happy life together as a family.

  • Paul Koester: Longest Serving Pararescue Airman

    Paul Koester retired from the Air Force in 2015 after 41 years of service, the longest-serving pararescue airman in history.

  • U.S. serviceman helped liberate Nazi concentration camp

    Al Ungerleider, an Army lieutenant in World War II, took part in the assault to liberate the Dora-Mittlebau concentration camp in Germany on April 11, 1945.

  • #OperationSong: No Cinderella by Army Veteran Lory Gatter

    This #OperationSong spotlights “No Cinderella” by Army Veteran Lory Gatter and Jenn Franklin. Gatter wrote about overcoming traumatic experiences.

  • Apples, Family and Humility: Don Van Elzen

    Korean War Veteran and Purple Heart recipient Don Van Elzen finds happiness in eating apples, spending time with family and serving his country.

  • Charles Beckwith: The Father of Delta Force

    Colonel Charles Beckwith was a Special Forces officer who founded the secretive special operations unit known as Delta Force.

  • Rae Mary Leff: Lessons from the Repose

    Rae Mary Leff served for 14 years in the Navy as a nurse, learning much about life while treating servicemen in Vietnam.

  • Gary Gordon: A Real American Hero

    Gary Gordon was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed during the Battle of Mogadishu, which was portrayed in Black Hawk Down.

  • Escaping the PTSD Barrel: Daniel Dunn

    Marine Corps Veteran Daniel Dunn used music and art therapy to subdue his anger and pain at the National Veterans Creative Arts Competition & Festival.