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Brad Snyder

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The ARVN unit he advised was a reactionary force, usually sent on short operations to chase away encroaching enemy forces. During one of these firefights, he was helping a wounded man when his beret was knocked off. The advisors wore the hats of their host units for unit cohesion, but he realized he was crazy for being in a firefight without a helmet. As soon as he put it on, a guy with an AK-47 stood up and did a John Wayne. (6:42)

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Brad Snyder tells the story of the chaplain who came to his bedside at a MASH hospital in South Vietnam and scared the hell out of him by giving him the last rites, "just in case." That chaplain eventually became Cardinal John O'Connor, the Archbishop of New York, but not before Snyder tracked him down and gave him some grief. (3:04)

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He lost an eye to a VC bullet but the good news was that he was going to live. The bad news was that his military career was over. Serving in that war was a life changing event for him as it was for so many, and he reckons that the best day of his deployment was the day he managed to get a well dug for an orphanage. (6:03)

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Even though Brad Snyder was booed and spit on when he returned from Vietnam, the full meaning of the public's anger at this war was lost on him until he was invited to speak at Harvard. His contact advised him to not wear his uniform. What? He goes on to describe his thoughts on the war's legacy, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial and the all volunteer military. (5:09)

Braswell Deen

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His father said that if you join the Army, you'll be cannon fodder and if you join the Navy, you'll be shark bait. Braswell Deen went for the Marines and became both. After boot camp he sailed for the island of Pavuvu where he trained further with his squad leader Joe Daly and his fire team leader Bill Thompson. (6:29)

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Braswell Deen recalls getting ready for the amphibious landing on Peleliu and then the chaos of the landing itself. The shelling had been tremendous, but as on so many other islands, the enemy survived and the Marines faced heavy resistance as they hit the beach. (6:31)

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The fire was heavy from the ridge above, remembers Braswell Deen. His company was pinned down in a tank trap just inland from the beach on Peleliu. He and a couple of other Marines had advanced just past the trap and almost missed the word to fall back. The night that followed was spent in a shell hole with rounds going overhead all night. (6:57)

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A Marine doesn't like to say he retreated, but they didn't have enough men, so the word came to withdraw back toward the beach. Braswell Deen was out ahead of most of the unit. In his book, "Trial By Combat," he credits the medic, Bill Jenkins, with saving his life. Jenkins told the others there were men out there, and under heavy fire, crawled up to pass the word. (3:02)

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After that first day on Peleliu, they were Marines says Braswell Deen. They did what they were trained to do. On the second day, he was once again sent out in advance and narrowly escaped as others were killed. His company suffered 80% killed or wounded, including Fred Fox, who survived an epic bayonet fight. (8:03)

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There were only a couple of dozen Marines holding the position. With the help of a nearby mortar platoon, they held off Banzai charges and approaches from the water side. The next morning, there were hundreds of dead Japanese all around, recalls Braswell Dean, who was soon on the advance again. (5:17)