Digital Museum for United States Veterans

Veteran Stories

The Stories

The Veterans Museum is here to share the stories of our Veterans and their families.

At the heart of the Veterans Museum are the Veteran stories that define our mission. These are the real voices of service — unfiltered, powerful, and deeply human. Every story told helps us preserve the personal side of military history, ensuring that no veteran’s experience is forgotten.

The videos below include the hundreds of stories of Veterans with a wide range of experiences. These are the same videos that display in all of the kiosks we have placed in locations throughout Florida.

Use the search options below to find videos of interest. 

.50 caliber machine gun 1st Cavalry Division 3rd Force Recon 5" guns 5-inch 9-11 15-6 investigation 25th Infantry Division 48th base camp 64th Engineer Topographic Battalion 428th Tactical Fighter Squadron 886 927th 1989 A-1E A-7 AC-130 Addiction admiral Admiral Hyman G. Rickover Afghanis Afghanistan Africa African Americans Air Assault Air Assault School aircraft carrier Air Force Airman Air Medal air rescue Air Wing 8 AK-47 Al-Qaeda Albanians Allied Occupied Japan AMCROSS ammunition AMTRAC Antarctica Anti-Submarine Rocket anti-Vietnam sentiment anti-war demonstration Arlington Army Army doctor Army National Guard Army Reserves article 15 ARVN asbestos asbestosis ashes ASROC attack author aviation boatswain's mate B-52 B-52H B-52s Baathists babies Bagram Balkans War ballistic missile bank Barack Obama Barney barrel baseball battle buddy Battle Rattle bear Berlin Wall Bethesda Blackhorse blood Blue Dragons blue on green boatswain boatswain's mate boiler room boiler technicians bomb blast bombing bombing runs Bombs book bootcamp Bosnia Bosnia & Herzegovina brass Brigadier General Broadminded Bronze Star Buffalo Buffalo New York bunk burial at sea C-130 California fires Camera Camp Carroll Camp Edwards Camp Lejeune canopy capped capsule Captain's mast Captain T.J. Harper Captain Wise Captured career cartels cash casket Cason Castro Catholic Nuns Ceasefire Cease fire chart chiefs mess Children children's books China chopper choppers Christmas Chu Lai CIA City Of Jacksonville civilian acquired skills claymore cleft palate close air support Clyde Lassen Coast Guard coffee Cold War College combat diver combat medic combat missions Combat Service Support Combat Sustainment Support Battalion Coming Home Commanding Officer Commission Communication Communism Community Service computer operator computers convoy cook corpsman Corpsmen councilman counternarcotics crane crash crew chief Croatia Crying CS3 Cuba Cuban Army Cu Chi culinary specialist (CS) damage controlman Da Nang daycare deck department Defense Computer Institute Degree demilitarized zone Deployment Desert Shield Desert Storm design flaw destroyer detainees Detention dirt disability Distinguished Flying Cross dive-bomb dive school DMZ doc doctor DODCI dog dollars Dottie Capers drug boats drugs duck DUI duty Duval Duval County earthquake education eject electrician's mate Email embassy Emergency emergency breakaway engineers engine room Evasion Expo '70 F-111 FA-18 Family FDVA Federal Reserve Fence Line fire Fire Controlman Fire Control Technician fire control technicians flagship flagship USS Rochester flight deck flight nurse flight program flight status flood Florida Florida A&M Florida Hall of Fame Council Florida National Guard Florida Veterans Foundation Florida Veterans Hall of Fame Fort Hood Fort Sheridan forward air controller forward operating base Frank Cius friendly fire funerals Gadsden County gauntlet gender discrimination General Dynamics General MacArthur General Shoemaker George H.W. Bush Germany Ghazni Province ghosts Gitmo glider Gobi Gold Star Family gorilla Government Car GPA Grappa Great Lakes Green Beret Green Berets Greenpeace Green Zone Grenades grounded Guantanamo Bay Guard Gulf of Tonkin gunfire gunfire director gun line gun mount gun mounts gunner's mate gunner's mates gunnery officer H-3 Hachi Hachi Roku Ham Radio Hanoi Hanoi Hilton Hartsell Hawaii Hazara tribe HBCU head injury Healthcare Healthcare Management helicopter helicopter crew chief helicopter pilot helicopters helicopter squadron helicoptors Hickam high-tension wires highline Highway 1 Highway QL1 HMX-1 Hoa Lo Prison Ho Chi Minh Trail Ho Chi Min Sandal Ho Chi Min Trail homecoming Homestead Hong Kong hooch hospital hospital corpsman hospital ship Hue Huey human body experiments humanitarian humanitarian aid humanitarian relief humble hung bomb Hung ordinance hung rockets Iceland IED IL IMA imagery Inauguration Individual Augmentee insurgents integration intel intelligence gathering missions Internet interpreters interview Invasion of Inchon IRA Iran-Contra Affair Iraq Iraqi police Italy Jacksonville JAG Jalalabad James Capers James Capers Jr Japan Japanese Jet John Dunham John Wayne joint forces JROTC Judge Justice Thurgood Marshall Kalashnikov Kamakura Key West Khe Sanh KIA kidnapped kids Kings Bay Knighthawks Kobe Korea Koreans Korean White Horse Division Kosovo Kuril Islands Kuwait lacerations LA County Sheriff Department Lake Charles Laos launch lawyer Lebanon leper Letters lifeguard Lithuania logistician logistics Lompoc London LPH LST Lyndon Johnson M16 M60 M79 MacArthur MacDill Macedonia Machinist Mate Madison County main condenser main galley Major James Capers Jr. Malinois man overboard Marine Corp Marine Corps Marines Martin Sheen Mayor medal Medal of Honor medevac Medical evacuation medical school Mediterranean medivac mentor MEPS mess officer MIA military service minority missile missile tests missing Missing in Action missionary Mississippi money Monterey mop mortar mortar attack Mortors Moscow Mount Fuji MP MPs mugs napalm Naples NAS Jax NAS Oceana National Guard National League of POW/MIA Families NATO Naval Academy Naval Academy ring navigator Navy Navy Medical Service Corps Navy SEALS NCIS NEDU New York Noriega North Koreans North Vietnam North Vietnamese North Vietnamese Army North Vietnamese border nuclear power program nuclear reactor Nurse Nùngs Ocala OCS officers oiler Operation Deep Freeze Operation Iraqi Freedom Operations Specialist opportunity Ordinance Orlando Orleck Orphans P-3 paint Pan Am Panama parachute jumps Paris Peace Accords Patrick Air Force Base Peace Treaty Pearl Harbor pediatric ward penguins Pensacola Pentagon Philippines Phu Bai Phu Loc physician pilot Pirmasens planes shot down polar bear Polaris police transition team politicians Ponte Vedra poop port call Port Orange Port Visit post 9/11 poster POW power lines POWs pregnancy president Presidental Helicopter Squadron President Eisenhower President Gerald Ford Presidential Helicopter Squadron Presidential Honor Guard President Nixon prison Prisoner Project CORONA prosecutor Provincial Reconstruction Team provisions PTSD Purple Heart Quantico R&R radarman radio radioman radio operator Radios re-enlistment mandate Ready Room Reagan reconstruction Recruiters Red Cross message red phone Reese rehabilitation replenishments rescuer resilience Retirement retirement ceremony RIO rivalries rocket rocket attack Rockets rotary school ROTC rounds Russia Russian sacrifice Saddam Hussein Saigon River sampans San Diego sandstorm Sandy pilots Sarajevo Sasebo satellite saturation diving scrapped scuba school Seabees Sea King seals Security Senator Serbia sergeants service dog shell casings Shia Shinjuku Ship Tour shock and awe Shoot shot shot down shrapnel Signature Silver Star Sixth Fleet snake Snipe SOCOM soldiers solitary confinement South China Sea Soviet Union space command Space Force Special Forces special operators special ops special response batallions sports spouses spy spy satellites St. Augustine St. Johns County STABO Statue of Liberty steam steam leak steam line strafing student loans Subic Bay Submarine submariner submarine tender Sunni supersonic support operations officer surgery survival SVNH swift boat swim test T-37 T-38 Takhli Taliban Tallahassee tank tape recorder taxi runs teacher telephone television tent Terrorism Tet Offensive Texas Thailand Thanksgiving Thompson submachine gun Tigers Tokyo Top Secret Torpedoman's Mate training translation Trauma Treasure Island tribal leaders Turkey typhoon U.S. Air Force U.S. Marine UAV undesignated unexploded ordinance uniform University of Florida UN Peacekeepers USAMMC-E USS Guadalcanal USS Kitty Hawk USS Maryland USS Orleck USS Saratoga USS Theodore Roosevelt VA Vandenberg Veterans Veterans' stories Veterans Treatment Court VFA-136 Viet Cong Vietcong Vietnam Vietnam War VTC ward room war in Israel warrant officer helicopter program warrant officer training White Horse wife Women women in aviation women veterans World's Fair wounded wounded soldiers Wounded Warriors Project WWII Xi'an XM1 Yellow Ribbon Program Yeltsin Yokosuka
Video Gallery
Lawrence Michalove - Project CORONA
Retired U.S. Air Force Lt Col Lawrence Michalove describes flying an ...
Lawrence Michalove - "A Likely Story"
Retired U.S. Air Force Lt Col Lawrence Michalove describes his time ...
James Capers - Part 7: The Swim Test
While attending training school in Key West, FL to become a combat ...
James Capers - Part 6: Capers and the Snake
Major James Capers Jr. tells the story of a large snake he and his men ...
James Capers - Part 5: "I saw them, I talked to them"
Major James Capers Jr. recounts a mission where a fellow Marine was ...
James Capers - Part 4: "You don't look like a Marine"
Major James Capers Jr. recounts the story behind the photo shoot for ...
James Capers - Part 3: "I was coming home"
Major James Capers Jr. tells of returning home to his wife Dottie ...
James Capers - Part 2: "Last man on the chopper"
After his entire team is wounded in Phu Loc, Major James Capers Jr. ...
James Capers Jr. - Part 1: Wounded at Phu Loc
Major James Capers Jr. describes how he and his team were attacked at ...
Diane Fears - The USS Gompers' First Wave
Diane Fears describes her experience being among the first wave of ...
Ed Cowen - Me Looking at Him, Looking at Me
Ed Cowan describes his work with a Vietnamese construction battalion ...
Bill Wirth - One Tough Interview
Bill Wirth describes his experience being interviewed for the nuclear ...
Bill Peterson - They Said: "Listen to Your Sergeant"
Bill Peterson, a former Army mess officer stationed at Fort Sheridan, ...
Wileen Footman - Battle Buddy Before Self
Purple Heart recipient Wileen Footman shares her intense experience ...
Mary M. Jackson - Communicating Can Be a Bear
Retired Vice Admiral Mary M. Jackson reflects on the evolution of ...
Vanessa Thomas - She Served Without Question
Vanessa Thomas recounts her early life in England, moving to the U.S., ...
Mose Floyd - Mentors Shaping Lives
Mose Floyd, a judge and retired Marine Corps officer, recounts the ...
Joseph Ruthenberg - Life on Marine One
Joseph Ruthenberg joined the Marines and became a pilot after learning ...
Richard Erickson – One Limb Down, Two Thumbs Up
Richard Erickson describes what it was like being a medevac helicopter ...
Linda Pugsley - Care in the Air
Retired Air Force Major Linda Pugsley recounts her service as a flight ...

The Veterans Museum is here to share the stories of our veterans and their families in their own words. We believe these voices matter. From combat experiences and moments of courage to reflections on service, transition, and healing — each story adds meaning and depth to our understanding of military life.

Our goal for these exhibits is to capture meaningful excerpts of veteran stories and make them accessible to the public. These narratives provide insight, education, and inspiration for civilians and fellow service members alike. Whether you’re a student, a fellow veteran, or a curious visitor, these stories offer a connection to the people behind the uniform.

Why Veteran Stories Matter

  • They preserve personal history that might otherwise be lost

  • They honor service and sacrifice in a deeply human way

  • They bridge the civilian-military divide through storytelling

  • They educate future generations about the realities of military life

  • They empower veterans to share their truth, in their voice

If you’re interested in exploring even more stories beyond our collection, we encourage you to visit the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, where thousands of personal accounts are preserved for public access. You may also find meaningful perspectives at the National Veterans Foundation, which offers veteran-led support and shares lived experiences to promote healing and advocacy.

As you explore these veteran stories, we encourage you to listen with an open heart and mind. Each story is a thread in the fabric of our national identity — brave, complex, and real.

If you or someone you know would like to share a personal story for this collection, please visit our Share Your Story page or contactus so we can include you.

Let’s make sure these stories are never forgotten.

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