Today on VBC Coffee Hour we mark the 77th Anniversary of the Iwo Jima Flag Raising. Brent "Westy" Westemeyer joins us to talk about the battle, the photo, and Harold "Pie" Keller, the Marine Brent recently proved was in Joe Rosenthal's famous photo.
In December 1992, 1,800 United States Marines arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia, to spearhead Operation Restore Hope. Brad Graft was one of those Marines. Hear him talk about his service and the amazing historical fiction novels he's written since then.
. . Alex Yawor served with the US Marines in the Pacific during WWII. Painter Yawor produces portraits of killed military personnel Your Content Goes Here
. . Bob landed at Parris Island at a hard time for the Marines. The Corps was so short of manpower that the teenage Bob soon became a drill instructor, barking orders at recruits a dozen years older than he.By 1944, Bob had transferred to the new 24th Marine Regiment,
. . Regis Wessell of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania wanted to be a marine, like his uncle who served in WWI, but the recruiter didn’t think the young lad had the right stuff. “Go join the Boy Scouts,” the gruff Sgt. barked, belittling Regis for his small stature. Besides, he was only seventeen.
