Snipers in Vietnam: From the Archive

Snipers in Vietnam: From the Archive

Author: Evergreen Podcasts | The Honor Project March 26, 2026 Duration: 49:15
Military snipers were trained sharpshooters assigned to kill a man with one perfect shot. These highly disciplined marksman often stalked a target for days waiting for just the right moment to squeeze the trigger. Lurking in the shadows alone, the deadly stealth of the sniper made him the most feared man on the battlefield. As a young hunter, Chuck Mawhinney grew up with a gun in his hand. In October 1967, Mawhinney was just 19 years old when he made his first kill as a scout sniper in Vietnam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a profound difference between reading about history and hearing it told by the person who lived it. Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories bridges that gap entirely, presenting an unbroken narrative of modern conflict through the voices of those who served. This isn't a commentary or an analysis; it's the raw, direct testimony that forms the bedrock of our understanding. The podcast draws from a remarkable archive, beginning with century-old recordings of veterans from the First World War and extending to contemporary conversations with service members from recent conflicts. Each episode is a standalone account, a deeply personal window into experiences that range from the trenches of France to the mountains of Afghanistan. You'll hear the subtle pauses, the inflections, and the emotion that text alone can never convey. Produced by Evergreen Podcasts in partnership with The Honor Project, the series is committed to preservation without polish, offering the unsanitized truth of military service. Listening feels less like studying an event and more like sitting across from someone as they share a pivotal part of their life. The cumulative effect is a powerful, human-centric tapestry of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, ensuring these essential perspectives are not lost to time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories
Podcast Episodes
The Burma-Siam Death Railway: CPO Otto Schwarz [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:43
Chief Petty Officer Otto Carl Schwarz Jr. served in the Navy in World War II. He was born in the Netherlands, but moved to the US with his family during childhood. He enlisted in the US Navy in January 1941 with the perm…
The Wild Weasels: Capt. Tom “Bear” Wilson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:54
Captain Tom “Bear” Wilson served in Vietnam as an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO). He sat in the back seat of aircraft, and was responsible for monitoring radar in order to warn his pilot of threats, like surface-to-air…
Addiction and Trauma: SSgt Sam Hargrove [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:09
Staff Sergeant Sam Hargrove served in the Air Force for 11 years, working in combat communications. During her deployment in Iraq, Hargrove survived a base bombing. The attack left her with a traumatic brain injury (TBI)…
Imprisoned by the Japanese: CAPT Lawrence Savadkin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:32
Captain Lawrence Savadkin served as a computer data torpedo operator on the USS Tang, a submarine, during World War II. During a battle with enemy Japanese ships in October 1944, the Tang was struck by a torpedo and sunk…
Losing An Arm in Iraq: SPC Danielle Green [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:14
Specialist Danielle Green served in Iraq with the Military Police Corps as a gunner. On May 25th, 2004, she was hit by a homemade RPG on a rooftop. She lost her left forearm and hand in the blast. Prior to enlisting at t…
Christmas During the Battle of the Bulge: 1st Lt. Belton Cooper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:37
Lieutenant Belton cooper served in World War II as a ordnance officer. He and his team were tasked with recovering damaged allied tanks, often from behind enemy lines, and repairing them. In this special holiday episode,…
Honoring the Lives Lost at Pearl Harbor: MSgt. Richard Fiske [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:17
“I want peace so bad that it hurts.” Master Sergeant Richard Fiske served in the Marines during World War II as a bugler. He was stationed on the USS West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and watched as the Ja…
A Frozen Thanksgiving: Bill Boldenweck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:43
Bill Boldenweck served in the Korean War with the Marine Corps. In this interview, he talks about the harsh conditions of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, which he was sent to the day after Thanksgiving. Editor’s Note: Bo…
The First Man Into Normandy: Col. Vito S. Pedone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:11
Colonel Vito S. Pedone served in World War II as a Pathfinder Pilot. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the paratrooper fle…
Crashing into France: 1st Sgt. Bill Lumsden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:45
1st Sergeant Bill Lumsden served in World War II as a Paratrooper and Pathfinder. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the pa…