American Veterans Center

On November 14, 1965, Army aviator Bruce Crandall led the first major division operation of airmobile troops into Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam.

When the operation turned into the first major battle between U.S. and NVA soldiers, Crandall and his wingman, Ed Freeman, delivered ammunition and evacuated nearly six dozen wounded over 22 missions straight into enemy fire. The craft he was flying was unarmed. ‘It was the longest day I ever experienced in any aircraft,’ he’d remember.

Affectionately known as ‘Snake’ – and sometimes ‘Snakesh*t’ – Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall’s story was immortalized in General Hal Moore and Joe Galloway’s epic, "We Were Soldiers Once…and Young", and in the subsequent movie, portrayed by Greg Kinnear. In 2007, it was immortalized once more, when he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush.

A battlefield legend and an original character, Bruce Crandall passed away on May 31, 2026, age 93. Rest In Peace, old friend.

Listen to his story here: https://youtu.be/v4Tnz-3in5s

3 hours ago | [YT] | 1,615

American Veterans Center

The AVC was deeply saddened to hear about the recent passing of WWII Veteran Robert "Bob" Boeke.

Bob served in France with the 86th Infantry Division as a reconnaissance scout, always out in front observing enemy positions. He would cross the Rhine into Germany where he would discover the horrors of Dachau Concentration Camp.

70-years after the war Bob would reunite with an old flame, actress Margaret Kerry who was the model for ‘Tinkerbell’ in Walt Disney’s ‘Peter Pan’, and together they created their own fairy tale wedding in their 90’s.

Hear Bob's incredible story here ==> https://youtu.be/wwAuc1d-Dvo

4 days ago | [YT] | 10,862

American Veterans Center

We had the honor of sitting down with a few Veterans from Pearl Harbor, WWII, and the Korean War before our National Memorial Day Parade which will take place Monday May 25th in Washington D.C. tune in to our YouTube livestream of the parade tomorrow starting at 8:30am ET. 🇺🇸

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1 week ago | [YT] | 3,299

American Veterans Center

The AVC had the pleasure to sit down with former Navy SEAL, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr, to talk about his 20 year service in Naval Special Warfare Command and the incredible success he has had as an author following his service ==> https://youtu.be/C8VIxPmqxHQ

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1 week ago | [YT] | 810

American Veterans Center

Richard Coachys, a young officer in Vietnam describes leading his men into combat and the horrific firefight which earned him the Purple Heart ==> https://youtu.be/bTCcoXjf0jM

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 3,578

American Veterans Center

Actor Joe Mazzello sat down with us to talk about his incredible portrayal of Marine Corps legend Eugene Sledge in the HBO miniseries "The Pacific" ==> https://youtu.be/xjyI95Rh3bE

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1 month ago | [YT] | 3,252

American Veterans Center

The first operational test of the Army’s Special Operations aviation capability (160th SOAR) came in Operation URGENT FURY, the 1983 rescue of American students on the Caribbean island of Grenada. Bob Johnson piloted a UH-60 Blackhawk filled with Navy SEALs and a handful of State Department Representatives into a dangerous and little known combat mission ==> https://youtu.be/7hiWymxTO5E

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,826

American Veterans Center

Medal of Honor Recipient Gary Littrell talks about how he survived 4 days of non-stop combat with the North Vietnamese ==> https://youtu.be/vp5zgd81uk8

1 month ago | [YT] | 2,189

American Veterans Center

This week's video brings together two of the few remaining men alive that went toe-to-toe with Hitler's Panzer Divisions. Walter Stitt Jr. and Harry Miller discuss their shared experience in armored combat against the Nazis ==> https://youtu.be/Mjgdq-2pezo

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,211

American Veterans Center

This week's video takes us into NASA's Mission control center with legendary flight director Gene Kranz. Gene's career spanned from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond ==> https://youtu.be/owllFIkUjIE

2 months ago | [YT] | 1,293