Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Roye Wilson

Vietnam | 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery

When someone at work made a comment that America had lost the Vietnam War, Roye Wilson was shocked. Our soldiers never lost a battle there. The politicians decided they would leave and they did. To him, it was an honorable enterprise and the only right course at the time and it is his belief that it contributed to the fall of Soviet communism. (3:47)
The first time he left the base and traveled through the Vietnam countryside, he was struck by the exotic and beautiful scene. He wrote his wife and told her, "We need to travel and see the world." (2:07)
Rudy Grunfeld

WWII | Captain, U.S.1st Army, G2 Intelligence under General Omar Bradley

Rudy Grunfeld talks about having to become a United States citizen before he could become an officer in the United States Army. (1:27)
Rudy Reyes

Operation Iraqi Freedom | 1st Reconnaissance Battalion

His father and his stepfather were both Vietnam Marines and, following a rough childhood, Rudy Reyes followed in their footsteps. He excelled at boot camp and the School of Infantry because he arrived in top physical shape and he had a determined attitude. He was not going to be dominated in any way. (5:23)
Rudy Reyes was so impressed with his DI's that he would go back and visit them after achieving another milestone. He was the top boot in boot camp which meant that they were twice as hard on him. Despite the excellence and honors, his first assignment was not a great one. Then, Recon came calling. (Caution: strong language) (7:31)
Recon Marines work in small teams and when Rudy Reyes arrived, he met Shawn Patrick, his new team leader. They were aboard ship when 9/11 occurred and pulled anchor that night and headed to Pakistan, then Afghanistan. They were bloodied in some of the first fighting in the Global War on Terror. As if that wasn't enough, they were soon seeing action in Iraq. (7:46)
There were no boom boxes allowed on the Humvees so Rudy Reyes and the other Recon Marines sang pop and country songs themselves. Every inch of the vehicle was packed with supplies and weapons but he had a stash of coffee and candy. The candy led to a memorable incident involving a small Iraqi boy. (Caution: strong language) (9:29)
The men in this platoon would be forever memorialized because of what started as a journalist embedded with them. Evan Wright first wrote a series of articles which became a book and then an HBO miniseries, Generation Kill. Rudy Reyes thought the man was out of shape and a liability but went on to be a military advisor and then played himself in the show. (Caution: strong language) (6:06)
It put some hard bark on him. When Rudy Reyes came back to Iraq, the intense fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi changed him and hardened his outlook. After an ambush cost one of the men both his arms, he began taking the most dangerous clandestine missions. (6:10)
After playing himself in the miniseries based on his platoon's exploits in Iraq, Rudy Reyes seemingly had a successful life with a new career as an actor. Between that and more counter-terrorism missions, he was very busy but his personal life imploded. His family broke up, drugs entered his life and he struggled with depression. But then his life lit up again due to a chance trip to the ocean. (9:21)