Amanda Cummins discusses her time in the United States Army from the perpective of being female. In particular, Cummins, who is married to a Sailor, discusses juggling family life and solidering, her Afghanistan deployment, coping with life after deployment, and her views on how Veterans are treated.
Angel Lewis discusses his enlistment in the Army, his thoughts on serving, his job and position while enlisted, as well as the best and worst aspects of life in the service.
Baxter Mallory details his life in the Army and the work he does with helping Veterans transition. In particular, Mallory details his time in the 82nd Airborne, breaking his ankle, and how his personality changed after enlistment. He also discusses his ideas for helping returning service people heal from their mental and physical battle scars.
Brian Sheets details his time in the United States Army. In particular, Sheets details his enlistment, his time in basic training, and his deployment to Afghanistan. He also comments on his mental health struggles during and after enlistment, while also sharing his views on the PTSD crisis that many soliders grapple with after service.
Cadet Keith Lynch is a Louisville, KY native and a US Army Ranger, who did two tours securing the island of Grenada in 1983. In this interview, Lynch, discusses some of his attitudes and experiences relating to the Grenada invasion.
Catherine Ferguson, is a Ohio native, and a student at Eastern Kentucky University. In this interview she describes her experiences in the US Army for four years. She discusses the reasons why she joined the Army and how the service is demanding.
In this interview Dr. Charles Whitlock discusses his experiences on EKU campus, first as a student and later under various positions he held after he served in the Army. He discusses his opinions of presidents and the traits of a good college president.
Sargeant Christopher Petzke discusses his experiences in the United States Army. In particular, Petzke comments on his deployment to Iraq, his reasons for enlisting, and how he juggles the military and a family of nine.
Christopher Rechtin details his time in the United States Army and his return to civilian life. In particular, Rechtin comments on his choice to enlist, his time during basic training, and his feelings before deployment. He also shares his experiences during his deployment to Iraq, and comments on how the war changed him. He also discusses his easy…
Courtney Johnson discusses her service in the Army, why she enlisted, and what is was like to be a woman in the military. She details how the drill instructors were younger than her, the lack of privacy in the barracks, her work in the chemical unit, her promotion to an Operations Officer, her being stationed in Alaska, where she struggled with…
Crystal Benbow discusses her time in the United States Army and her reintergration back into cilvilan life. In particular, Benbow comments on her reasons for enlisting, her experiences in basic training, and her deployment to Iraq. She also explains how the G.I. Bill helped her become a nurse, and she details how her military service has helped her…
Dan Gros recounts his time in the United States Army. In particular, Gros comments on his experiences during basic training, his deployment to Somalia, and his role as a Sergeant. He also discusses the good and bad that came from his service and the comforts of home that he missed most.
Ret. Master Chief Daniel Brindley details his twenty-five year career in the United States Army. Brindley faced an early discharge for an injury, but he re-enlisted three years later. In particular, Brindley discusses what it was like to serve during the Cold War, his time in Panama during the Noriega Regime, his deployments to the Middle East…
Danny Cline discusses his time in the Army during Vietnam. In particular, Cline comments on being drafted, going to boot camp, being shipped to Vietnam, trying to handle the stress of being in a combat zone, the process of desensitization in a war zone, and the reception he received when he returned home.
Darwin Streets discusses his service record during the Korean War. He discusses his early life of growing up on a farm in Athens, Ohio, and how his life changed when he got drafted to war at the young age of 18. Streets goes over how he trained for war, the hardships of being in combat, and comments on the way his service shaped him into the person…
David R. Vickers details his childhood and his reasons for enlisting in the Army. In particular, Vickers comments on his decison to enlist, his work in the EKU ROTC program, being stationed in Vietnam, and what it was like to be in the military during the Cold War. He also discusses how his faith was a factor in his war experiences and details how…
Donald Smith is a veteran of World War II and the Vietnam conflict. He was commissioned in the US Army and retired in 1964 with the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Military Police Corps. He obtained bachelor's and master's degrees from EKU and became the Registrar in 1976. He retired from EKU in 1985. This interview is a survey of his military…
PFC Eric Alexander Poynter recounts his time in the United States Army. In particular, Poynter comments on his time in basic training and the friendships he developed while enlisted. He also shares his advice for those who are currently thinking about joining the Armed Forces.
Fred E. Darling was an EKU faculty member, track coach, supervisor of the athletic tower, assistant dean of men, and the intermural sports director. In this interview, Darling details his career and the reason why he voluntarily ended his coaching position to devote himself to teaching full time.
In this interview, Gene Allen, a Morgan County native, discusses his family, education, military service, and public service career, which consisted of terms as both a County Judge and County Judge Executive. Other interview topics cover the Judicial Referendum, why he entered into politics, and needs of county, which include, among other things, a…
George N. Ausby details his time in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. In particular, he comments on the process of being drafted, his training to become an engineer, race relations during the Vietnam War, and the hardships of being in a jungle combat zone. He also discusses his return home, the reception he received, and how he found a…
Glenn Rogers discusses his experiences with being drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. In particular, Rogers comments on being injured, his experiences with Agent Orange, as well as his expereinces as a Prisoner of War and the effects it had on him after he returned home.
Henry Franklin Pryse, a Kentucky native, served as the Director of Community School Relations and the Placement Director at EKU. In this interview, he recalls his early life, education, and US Army and Air Force service record. He also discusses his interests in sports and his professional baseball career, which spanned from 1939 to 1948.
Holdbrook MacArthur details joining the military as an older recruit, the positions he held, and the challenges he faced. He also discusses being an immigrant who enlisted, his transition after being discharged, the classes you are required to take, and the path of service he took on after leaving the Armed Forces.
In this interview, Dr. Jack Fletcher gives an account of his education, early life, and family background. He also discusses his military experience, work experience and graduate school. Fletcher also discusses the early days of the Planetarium, which faced early problems with an electronics company and a lack of support from President Funderburk.
James Barnhill discusses his time in the United States Army during the Cold War. In particular, he comments on his being stationed in Germany, the things he loved about living there, the types of cars, the food he enjoyed, and the pressures of being in the Army. He also details what he believes cilivians should know about military life.
James D. Gaither Sr. details his service in the Army during the Vietnam War. In particular, Gaither discusses his experiences in basic training, his Infantry and Artillery training, his first combat experiences in Vietnam, and how casualties were handled in the war zone. He also comments on his re-entry into the civilian world after he was…
James Wooley discusses his time in the service, adjusting to military life, Veterans Adminstration healthcare, veteran reintegration, as well as the challenges that Veterans face with pharmaceutical abuse and addiction.
J.W. "Spider" Thurman was born in 1917 in Rhea County, Tennessee. He moved to Benham, a coal mining camp in Harlan County, Kentucky. In this interview, he recalls his military experiences and his duties as a physical education officer in the Air Force and US Army. He also reflects on his years spent in athletics in Kentucky and his job at EKU. He…
Jeffery Beaty recounts his service in the Army. In particular, Beaty recounts his early life, leaving home at eighteen, the culture shock of basic training, and life during his deployment.
Jeffrey Lynes details is life from childhood to his military career. In particular, Lynes comments on his mentors, the role religion has played in his life, his decision to attend West Point, life at West Point, and the Army Aviation Branch. Lynes also details the ins and outs of having to stay calm under fire, what its like to be a helicopter…
Sargeant First Class Jerry Klontz details his career in the U.S. Army. In particular, he shares stories from his time during active duty, which included deployments to combat zones in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Klontz also shares his personal feelings about service and the impacts it has on service men and women.
Jesse D. Allen discusses growing up around the military, his decision to join the Army and his experiences while enlisted. In particular, Allen details his time in the Middle East while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Allen discusses the good and bad expereinces of war, the scars he brought home with him, and how he has worked to live with…
Joe Jenkins recounts his time in the United States Army. In particular, Jenkins recounts his time as a Staff Sergeant, basic training, his deployment to Iraq, his work with interpreters, and the hardships of combat. He also discussed his reentry into clivilian life, and his thoughts on people who are currently joining the military.
John Barnett details his time in the United States Army. In particular, he comments on his decison to enlist, basic training, adapting to military life, and his deployments. Barnett also discusses his return to civilian life and his thoughts on Veteran benefits.
John Denton is a native of Cumberland County, TN. He attended University of Tennessee at 16 years old. In this interview Denton describes his college career and the ROTC experience. He joined the Army after obtaining his master's degree and served in the Vietnam war.
John E. Owens details his early life, his decision to enlist in the Army, and his choice to transfer to the National Gruard after 9/11. Owens shares interesting stories from basic training and his deployment to Iraq. Interview conversations also include comments on being an authority figure during conflict, the weight of holding the lives of men in…
Joseph Meyers recounts his decision to enlist, his time in basic training, and his deployment to Iraq. He discusses his drill instructors and thier teaching methods, his job as an engineer, creating boobytraps, being deplpoyed to Iraq, and running convoy operations. He explains the pain of losing a fellow solider and the impact it had on him.…
Joyce Smith covers her life up until her time in the military. She discusses her relationship with her mother and father and how it differed growing up, when compared to today. She talks about her life in the Army and how it shaped her into who she is today, as well as provided her with her beautiful children. Finally, she discusses why she would…
Keith Dinsmore discusses his time in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. In particular, he comments on his being drafted, his time in basic training, and the politics of war.
Kenneth Sterns Jr. discusses his time in the United States Army, the difficulties of basic traning, what the service taught him, and his opinions on the current military.
Dr. Kevin Hub discusses the state of education in his district and the state as a whole. Topics include budgets, relationships with teachers and educational organizations, pensions, and the current political climate. An overall view of the district is also given, including number and condition of school buildings, educational programs, curriculum…
Kevin O'Leary served in the U.S. Army and USAF Reserves from 1990 to 2015. In his interview O'Leary discusses his reasons for joining the Army, basic training, and his role as a T.O.W. missile gunner in the first Gulf War. O'Leary elaborates on his experiences with the environment in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and portions of Iraq. He also describes his…
Kyle Hubbs discusses his choice to enlist in the Army, his time and his experiences during his time in service, the life lessons he took from his enlistment, and the things about the military that he misses. (Interview missing)
