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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Gailard "Red" Ketcham Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Gailard "Red" Ketcham, Jeniffer Seavey, and Robert A. Stucky

Gailard "Red" Ketcham enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on June 1, 1944. During his service, Ketcham served with the 306th Bombardment Group and the 369th Bombardment Squadron in England, France, Germany, North Africa, and French Morocco. He was awarded the European-African-Middle-Eastern Theater Ribbon with Bronze Stars, the Good Conduct Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Occupation Medal. Ketcham worked as an aerial photographer in a B-17 ball turret on Project Casey Jones. He was discharged on June 20, 1946 at the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Arthur Thomas King Interview for Veterans' Voices Project

Arthur Thomas King and Jeremy L. Tkach

Arthur Thomas King was commissioned into the United States Air Force after being in the ROTC program while an undergraduate at The Tuskegee Institute. He served in Vietnam in 1965 and later became an economics instructor at the Air Force Academy. Mr. King also served at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and eventually earned a doctoral degree. He ultimately achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Jeffrey King Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Jeffrey King and Adrian Hill

Jeffrey King enlisted in the United States Air Force on September 19, 1987. He served as part of the 178th Security Forces during Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn, and was stationed in Montana, Texas, Ohio, Korea, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. King was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. He retired from the Air Force on October 1, 2012 at the rank of Master Sergeant.
Daniel Kirkpatrick Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Daniel Kirkpatrick and Jeremy L. Tkach

Daniel R. Kirkpatrick was commissioned into the United States Air Force in December 1971. Mr. Kirkpatrick served as a mental health nurse in Japan where he was promoted to Colonel and became Squadron Commander at Eglin AFB. Mr. Kirkpatrick served in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom where he was hospital commander at Ali Al Salem Air Base. He retired from the Air Force in August 2007.
James Kitts Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

James Kitts and David L. Morse

James E. Kitts was commissioned into the United States Air Force in July 1961. Mr. Kitts served at Nakhon Phanom in Thailand during the Vietnam War as a navigator. After the war Mr. Kitts then served in the Air Force reserves. He retired in 1990 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Robert Kowalski Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Robert Kowalski and Ericka Carter

Robert William Kowalski enlisted in the United States Air Force in October 2006. Mr. Kowalski served with the 88^th Security Forces in Baghdad, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mr. Kowalski left the Air Force in 2011 having achieved the rank of E-4.
Lea Kummerfeldt Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Lea Kummerfeldt, Ericka Carter, and Katie Bradshaw

Lea Kummerfeldt enlisted in the United States Air Force in October 1986. Ms. Kummerfeldt served with the 50th Combat Support Group at Hahn Air Force Base in Germany, Peterson and Schriever Air Force Bases in Colorado and Wright-Patterson Air Forced Base in Ohio. Ms. Kummerfeldt retired from the Air Force in 2011 having achieved the rank of Master Sergeant.
David Labate Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

David V. Labate

David V. Labate enlisted in the United States Air Force in February 1965. He was a member of Detachment 1, 903th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. He served during the Vietnam War and achieved the rank of E-4. He provided medical support for casualties and sick service members in aeromedical flights and casualty staging facilities attached to the Army, Navy, and Marine medical units. He received the Air Medal and the Marine Presidential Unit Citation. Labate left military service in February 1969.
Vincet Ladner Interview for Veterans' Voices Project

Vincet Ladner and Jeremy L. Tkach

R. Vincent Ladner enlisted in the United States Air Force in November 1993. He served in many locations during his military career including Texas, Cuba, Alaska, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. Mr. Ladner served as a gay man in the Air Force during the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ era and after its’ repeal in 2011. He retired from the Air Force in 2015.
Earl Lanning Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Earl Lanning and Ericka Carter

Earl R. Lanning enlisted in the United States Air Force in April 1957. Mr. Lanning first served in Turkey then served in Vietnam and Thailand during the Vietnam War. He left the military in 1969 with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Harold Larson Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Harold Larson and Katie Bradshaw

Harold Larson was drafted into the United States Army in February 1966. He served at Ft. Polk Louisiana and in Kanghwa-Do Korea during the Vietnam War. Mr. Larson was discharged from the Army in 1968 having achieved the rank of SP5.
Eva Lazear Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Eva Lazear and Jeniffer Seavey

Eva M. Lazear enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in September 1968. She served with the Headquarters Battalion in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Quantico, Virginia, Camp Smedly D. Butler, Okinawa, and Camp Pendleton, California. Lazear was first in her class of Disbursement Clerks and received a Meritorious promotion to Lance Corporal (E-3). She left the Marines in June 1970 at the rank of Sergeant (E-5).
Ernest LeClair Jr. Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Ernest LeClair Jr. and David L. Morse

Ernest LeClair Jr. was commissioned into the United States Air Force in November 1965. Mr. LeClair served as a pilot instructor at Columbus Air Base, Chʻing-chʻüan Kang Air Base and Sheppard Air Force Base. Mr. LeClair flew many missions during the Vietnam War including combat air drops in An Loc, Vietnam. Mr. LeClair retired from the United States Air Force in 1987.
John Lee Interview for the Veterans' Voices

John Lee and David Berry

John Lee enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2013. He was a member of the 58th Force Support Squadron. Lee served at JBSA-Lackland Air Force Base, Keesler Air Force Base, Sheppard Air Force Base, and Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He was discharged in 2016 with the rank of Senior Airman (SrA).
Sanchez Le'Flore Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Sanchez Le'Flore, David L. Morse, and Jeniffer Seavey

Sanchez Le'Flore enlisted in the United States Army on May 31, 2006. Le'Flore served at Ft. Lewis, Washington, Ft. Hood, Texas, and was deployed to Iraq in which he participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He worked as a Multichannel Transmission Systems Operator (31R) and as an Information Systems Specialist (25B). Le'Flore served with the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion and the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade. He was discharged from the Army on May 30, 2009 at the rank of Specialist (E-4).
Richard Lentz Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Richard Lentz and David L. Morse

Richard Lentz was commissioned into the United States Air Force in August 1970. Mr. Lentz served with the 374^th and 776^th Tactical Airlift Squadrons, the 60^th Military Airlift Wing and the 7^th Military Airlift Squadron during the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm and in Serbia. Mr. Lentz was awarded a silver star and a purple heart for his service. He retired from the Air Force in 1993 having achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Daniel Lephart Jr. Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Daniel H. Lephart, Amber Meyer, and Ericka Carter

Daniel H. Lephart Jr. enlisted in the United States Army Air Force in February 1945. Mr. Lephart served as a mechanic at Toulon Field in Vienna Austria during World War II. Mr. Lephart was at Toulon when the nuclear bomb was dropped in Hiroshima ending World War II. He left military service in November 1946 as Private First Class.
Gerald Litten Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Gerald Litten and Katie Bradshaw

Gerald L. Litten enlisted in the United States Air Force in September 1959. Mr. Litten served in North Dakota, Holland and Vietnam, earning a bronze star. He retired from the Air Force in 1980.
Larry Litten Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

Larry Litten and Katie Bradshaw

Larry Litten enlisted in the United States Air Force in September 1959. Mr. Litten served during the Vietnam War at Ubon Air Force Base in Thailand. Over the course of his career Mr. Litten served at Wright-Patterson, Eglin and Ramstein Air Force Bases. Mr. Litten retired from the Air Force in 1983 with the rank of Technical Sergeant.
Daniel Lopez Interview for Veterans' Voices Project

Daniel Lopez and David Berry

Daniel L. Lopez enlisted in the United States Army in October 1997. Mr. Lopez served in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. He left the Army in July 2012 as an E-5 Sergeant.
Dogs Help Veterans Cope With PTSD

Allison M. Loy and Will Davis

Approximately 300,000 Post-9/11 veterans are identified as having post-traumatic stress disorder in this country but it’s estimated that only 1 in 3 asks for help. For those who do, different kinds of therapy can help to manage the after effects of trauma. Many veterans find comfort from pets.
From the Air Force to Ice Cream, Navigating a Transition out of the Service

Allison M. Loy and Will Davis

US Air Force Lieutenant Bobby Walker created Fronana, a dairy-free ice cream made out of bananas. In August of 2014 Bobby found out he is being involuntarily separated from the Air Force because his career field is over manned. Walker is using Fronana as a way to transition to civilian life.
Military Sexual Assault Survivors Find Healing In Therapy, Education and Service

Allison M. Loy and Will Davis

According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, one in four women in the military report being sexually assaulted during their service. The numbers are even higher when unreported cases are considered. Life after Military Sexual Trauma, known as MST, can be challenging, but healing can come from finding ways to help others.
Montgomery County's Veterans Treatment Court Offers Opportunity For A Second Chance

Allison M. Loy and Will Davis

For veterans, reintegration back into civilian life after military service can be traumatic. Many vets make this transition successfully, but for others it’s very difficult, and some even commit crimes as a result of service-related trauma. Rather than let these men and women get lost in the criminal justice system, the Veterans Treatment Court was created – and courts like these are happening more around the country.
William Maki Interview for the Veterans' Voices Project

William Maki and Ericka Carter

William Maki was commissioned into the United States Air Force in June 1967. Mr. Duffy served at Tinker Air Base in Oklahoma and at Nakhon Phanom in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Mr. Maki retired from the Air Force in 1987 with the rank of Major.