Veterans' Voices

The Veterans' Voices Project is a combined effort by Wright State University’s Veteran and Military Center and local NPR station WYSO. Wright State Veteran students record video interviews of Veterans ranging from World War II to the current conflicts. These interviews are then stored in both The Library of Congress and Wright State University archives. All of the interviews are available for viewing at the Library of Congress and Wright State archives. Some of these interviews will be viewable on The Library of Congress website.

Another aspect to this project is our partnership with the local NPR affiliate WYSO. WYSO will be airing pieces for the national project known as “Veterans Coming Home.” These pieces will be about transitions and struggles that Veterans in the Dayton area have faced and overcome.

This project is conducted by Veterans, for Veterans. Many military service members have never told their story, this is their chance to do it. Recording and archiving these stories preserves them for future generations.

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Thomas Schwennesen Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Thomas Schwennesen and David Berry

Thomas Schwennesen enlisted in the United States Air Force in March 1967. Mr. Schwennesen served at Nakhon Phanom Air Base in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Mr. Schwennesen retired from the Air Force in 1994 having achieved the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.
Alecia Scriven Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Alecia Scriven and Ericka Carter

Alecia Scriven enlisted in the United States Air Force in March 1987. Ms. Scriven served at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Wright Patterson Air Force Base as medical logistics personnel. She retired in 2010 having achieved the rank of Master Sergeant.
Best Friends Forever: Two Veterans Find Strength in Service

Jeniffer Seavey and Will Davis

Jeniffer and Amanda met in the Army. Both experienced set backs then, but today they find strength in their friendship and service. Our Veterans Voices' series continues with Army veteran and Wright State student, Jeniffer Seavey of New Carlisle, and her BFF, Army veteran Amanda Murphy.
Russell Seel Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Russell Paul Seel and Adrian Hill

Russell Paul Seel enlisted in the Air Force on December 3, 1958. During his Air Force career, he served in 17 assignments, and earned 17 active duty awards, 12 commemorative awards (see additional files), and was nominated Airman of the Year in 1960 while at Altus AFB in Oklahoma. Seel served in Spain in 1961, Vietnam in 1966, Greenland in 1973, Thailand in 1974, and England in 1981. He retired as a Master Sergeant on December 31, 1984.
James Selmer Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

James Selmer and Wallace Daryl Crabb II

James W. Selmer enlisted in the United States Army in July 1967. Mr. Nelson served with the Army Security Agency in the DMZ in Korea. Hel left the military in 1971 with the rank of Specialist 5.
Daniel M. Semsel Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Daniel M. Semsel, Adrian Hill, and Jonathan S. Granata

Daniel M. Semsel, joined the Air Force in January 1989 as a Commissioned Officer. He served in the Persian Gulf War, the Iraqi War, and the Afghan War and was a part of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Southern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Semsel served in Saudi Arabia, Oklahoma, Nevada, Iceland, New Jersey, Arizona, Maryland, Panama, Hawaii, North Dakota, Missouri, Virginia, Afghanistan, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and most recently with the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with valor, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal. Semsel retired from the Air Force on May 22, 2013 as a Colonel (O-6).
Jared Shank Interview for Veterans' Voices Project

Jared Shank and Ericka Carter

Jared W. Shank enlisted in The United States Army in September 2002. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Mr. Shank left the Army in 2006 having achieved the rank of E-5 Sergeant.
Joon Shim Interview for Veterans' Voices Project

Joon Shim and Ericka Carter

Joon K. Shim was commissioned into the United States Army in February 2002. Until 2006 Ms. Shim was earning an M. D. at George Washington University and University of Massachusetts. Upon becoming a general surgeon she served two tours in Afghanistan as a combat trauma surgeon during Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2015 she left the Army with the rank of Colonel.
Warren Simmons Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Warren Simmons and Ericka Carter

Warren Simmons enlisted in the United States Army in August 1961. Mr. Simmons served with the Army Security Agency in Korea and Germany. Mr. Simmons retired from the Army in 1984 having achieved the rank of Master Sergeant E-8.
Jimmie Sistrunk Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Jimmie Washington Sistrunk, Adrian Hill, and David L. Morse

Jimmie Washington Sistrunk enlisted in the United States Army on July 26, 1962. Sistrunk attended jump school and served in the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Armored Division in Germany. He was awarded the Parachutist Badge. Sistrunk was discharged from the Army on July 25, 1968, at the rank of Private First Class (PFC).
Robert E. Sites Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Robert E. Sites, Jeniffer Seavey, and Robert A. Stucky

Robert E. Sites enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on December 5, 1945. Sites attended Weather School at Chanute Field, Illinois, and Radiosonde School at Elmendorf Air Base, Alaska. He served on Adak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska as a Radiosonde operator as part of the US Air Corps Weather Service. He was discharged on December 4, 1948 at the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Lillian Skowvron Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Lillian Skowvron and Jeremy L. Tkach

Lillian Skowvron enlisted in the Air National Guard in August of 2014. She achieved the rank of E4 Senior Airman. She was a member of the 121^st Civil Engineering Squadron. She received training in water and fuel system maintenance. Skowvron participated in the Operation Inherent Resolve. She was stationed in the city of Doha in the state of Qatar. Skowvron is working toward her degree in nursing at Wright State University.
Charles Sleighter Interview for Veterans' Voices Project

Charles Sleighter and Ericka Carter

Charles W. Sleighter was drafted into the United States Army in 1966. He was deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict. Mr. Sleighter left the Army with the rank of Specialist E-4.
Joseph R. Smith Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Joseph R. Smith and Adrian Hill

Joseph (Joe) R. Smith enlisted in the Army on May 27, 1953. He attended Officer Candidate School in 1979. Smith was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer's Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He retired from the Army as Major (04) on October 31, 1995.
Thomas Snead Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Thomas Snead Jr. and Wallace Daryl Crabb II

Thomas Snead enlisted in the United States Army in January 1964. Mr. Snead served with the Army Security Agency in Korea and Germany. Mr. Snead left the Army in 1968 with the rank of Sergeant.
George W. Snook Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

George W. Snook, Jeniffer Seavey, and Robert A. Stucky

George W. Snook was drafted into United States Army Air Corps on October 12, 1942. He served with the 445th Bombardment Group and the 703rd Bombardment Squadron in England. Snook was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Victory Commemorative Medal. He left the Air Corps on September 30, 1945.
Benjamin Spiller Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Benjamin F. Spiller and Adrian Hill

Benjamin F. Spiller was drafted into the United States Army on September 25, 1952. He served in Korea during the Korean War. While in Korea, Spiller contracted hemorrhagic fever. Spiller was discharged from the Army on September 14, 1954 at the rank of Corporal (E-4).
Jerry Spray Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Jerry Spray and Jeremy L. Tkach

Jerry Spray enlisted in the United States Army on June 8, 1964. He was a part of the Army's Security Agency as a Morse Code intercept operator during the Vietnam War. After the War, Spray enrolled in the Air Force ROTC, finished college, and was commissioned. He served as an Air Force Maintenance Officer. He received the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Air Force Commendation. Spray retired from the Air Force on July 1, 1995.
Reflecting on Military Service Without Combat

Cody Stevens and Will Davis

On this Veterans' Voices, we hear from two veterans who never saw combat. Even though that’s the case for most men and women who serve in the military, Cody Stevens of Xenia and Cole Hamilton of Dayton have mixed feelings about not getting to deploy. Cole is an Army veteran and Cody is a Marine Corps veteran. Both are Wright State students.
Reservists Often Struggle to Explain Service to Civilians

Cody Stevens and Will Davis

There are over twenty-eight thousand military Reservists in Ohio, yet the Reserves are a service option that often causes confusion to civilians. Two reservists speak about this problem.
Dale Stickrath Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Dale Stickrath Sr and David Berry

Dale Stickrath Sr. was drafted into the United States Army Air Corps in May 1943. Mr. Stickrath served as a gunnery instructor during World War 2. He was also involved in the liberation of the Philippines. Mr. Stickrath was discharged in 1945 with the rank of Sergeant.
John Stover Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

John Stover and Katie Bradshaw

John Stover was commissioned into the United States Army in June 1965. Mr. Stover served with the U. S. Army Security Agency in Korea and in Japan as a Korean and Chinese linguist. Following his active duty Mr. Stover was in the Army Reserves until his retirement in 1995 with the rank of Major.
Donald Stupp Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Donald Stupp and Adrian Hill

Donald Stupp was drafted into the Army Air Forces (now the United States Air Force) in 1945. He served in Texas and Bermuda. He was discharged from the Air Force in 1948 at the rank of Sergeant.
Angela Woods Swartz Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Angela Woods Swartz, Adrian Hill, and Eric Wiete

Angela Woods Swartz, served in the Navy during Desert Storm in Guam and on the USS Holland (AS-32) from August 20, 1992 through December 1, 1994. Swartz enlisted as an undesignated fireman (FR) and cross-decked to Seamen (SN). She received the National Defense Service Medal, the Battle "E" Ribbon, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Swartz sustained hearing loss leading to her medical discharge as an E3.
John Sweet Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

John Sweet and David Berry

John Sweet enlisted in the United States Air Force in September 1966. Mr. Sweet served with the 56^th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Mr. Sweet left the Air Force in 1973 having achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant.