Ask a Vet Podcast - Curious Humanography

10/19/2026

THIS IS HOW POWERFUL B-52 BOMBS WERE

Stef was a young Marine in Vietnam, hunkered down inside a shallow foxhole as B-52 bombers dropped their payloads closer and closer to his position.

The blasts were so powerful that they lifted him right out of his hole. He had to crawl back in.

This is Stef’s firsthand account of what it felt like to experience the overwhelming force of B-52 bombing from the ground.

Real stories. Real veterans. Preserved for the record.

Watch Stef’s complete interview “What They Never Told You About Firefights as a Grunt Marine in Vietnam” here: https://youtu.be/dOTDyYFJ-Nc

10/18/2026

THEY WANTED HIM OUT OF THE MARINES HE WENT TO NAM INSTEAD

Stef was just 17 when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. But not everyone in his Staten Island neighborhood supported his decision.

A local priest and a family friend who was an attorney wanted him out of the Marines. Then Stef received orders for Vietnam. He asked whether he could stay in the Marine Corps if he didn't go. When he learned he couldn't, he made his choice: he would go to Vietnam.

Stef wanted to be a Marine, and he was determined to see it through.

In this Ask A Vet story, Stef shares how a decision he made as a teenager took him to Vietnam.

Every veteran has a story. These are the voices and memories we want to preserve.

Watch Stef’s Complete interview “What They Never Told You About Firefights as a Grunt Marine in Vietnam” here: https://youtu.be/dOTDyYFJ-Nc

10/18/2026

When Your Family Is Made Up Of Marines Yet None Of Them Talks About It

Stef grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in a very Italian family where being a Marine ran in the family.

His father was a Marine. His cousin Edward, the man he looked up to, was a Marine. And his younger brother Gregory would become one, too.

But despite all those Marines in the family, there wasn't much talk about what they'd experienced. Just a little small talk, and then the subject would move on.

Stef's story raises a question many military families may recognize: how can something shape so many lives and still go mostly unspoken?

These are the personal stories behind the uniforms. Told by the veterans who lived them.

Watch Stef’s Complete interview “What They Never Told You About Firefights as a Grunt Marine in Vietnam” here: https://youtu.be/dOTDyYFJ-Nc

10/18/2026

WHY YOU NEVER TALK BACK TO A MARINE DRILL SERGEANT

Stef was a young Marine recruit at Camp Pendleton when a drill instructor struck the recruit standing next to him. Stef made the mistake of turning his head to see what had happened.

The drill instructor noticed immediately.

“What's the matter with you, Stefano? You don't like that?”

“No, sir. Don't like it, sir.”

Then came the question that changed everything: “You think you could kick my ass?”

Stef's answer was not what the drill instructor expected. What followed happened in front of the entire platoon.

This is Stef's firsthand account of Marine boot camp in a different era.
Watch Stef’s Complete interview “What They Never Told You About Firefights as a Grunt Marine in Vietnam” here: https://youtu.be/dOTDyYFJ-Nc

10/18/2026

WHEN THE CARRIER DECK EXPLODED, HE THOUGHT HE WAS A DEAD MAN

Joe was underneath an F-4 Phantom on the USS Forrestal, helping connect the equipment needed to start the aircraft, when the first explosion hit.

He climbed into the catwalk and began handing out fire hoses. Then he heard two more explosions.

Suddenly, this young Navy sailor was facing a terrifying reality: he might not make it off the ship alive.

Joe recounts his experience during the catastrophic USS Forrestal fire of July 29, 1967, one of the deadliest disasters in U.S. Navy history.

This is what he remembers — in his own words.

Watch Joe’s complete interview “What I Never Knew About the USS Forrestal Fire, From a Man Who Survived It” here: https://youtu.be/G9EW2p_u-30

10/16/2026

"I can't stay here, 'cause I know I'm gonna die."

July 29, 1967. Joseph "Joe" Duarte was under an F-4 Phantom on the flight deck of USS Forrestal, five days into combat operations off Vietnam, when the first explosion hit. A volunteer firefighter back home, he jumped into the catwalk and started handing out fire hoses. Then two more bombs went off.

Joe tells us how he made it off that deck, the shrapnel that cut through his arm, and the day a chaplain showed up at his family's door because the Navy thought he was dead.

🎥 Full episode: https://youtu.be/G9EW2p_u-30

In memory of the 134 sailors and aviators lost aboard USS Forrestal.

Content advisory: descriptions of fire, death and serious injury.

10/16/2026

In 1965, Joe Duarte had an Army draft notice in hand, so he joined the Navy instead. Two years later, he was on the flight deck of USS Forrestal off the coast of Vietnam.

On the morning of July 29, 1967, Joe was underneath an F-4 Phantom, getting it ready for the day's second launch, when the first explosion went off. What followed became the Navy's deadliest carrier fire since World War II. 134 men never came home, including Joe's own shop mate, who was just months from getting out.

In this episode of Ask A Vet, Joe walks us through that morning, the seven hours he waited for surgery while worse-injured men went first, and the chaplain who arrived at his family's door with a $10,000 check because the Navy believed he had been killed.

Stories like Joe's deserve to be heard while we can still hear them firsthand. Please watch, share it with someone who should hear it, and leave Joe a comment. He'll be reading.

🎥 Watch: https://youtu.be/G9EW2p_u-30
🎧 Listen: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5mbi4wzpFoyel97qJkbp5O?si=9d79M0YyRFyyija5qFW9vw

Content advisory: This episode includes descriptions of fire, death and serious injury. Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, press 1.

It was about 10:30 in the morning on July 29, 1967. Joe Duarte was ...

10/16/2026

DO’s & DONT’s EVERY NEW PLATOON LEADER SHOULD KNOW

What do you teach a young man who's about to become an Army officer?

Douglas had a simple answer: forget the gold bars on your shoulder. You're not better than the men you'll lead.

When he taught officer candidates, he urged them to be humble, avoid throwing their rank around, and find an experienced sergeant when they reached their first command. Someone who had been through war, understood the Army, and could teach them how to lead a platoon.

Douglas knew that leadership wasn't something you learned from insignia alone. Sometimes, the smartest thing a young officer could do was listen.

His advice came from experience as a young platoon leader in Vietnam.

Ask A Vet Podcast preserves veterans' firsthand stories, in their own words, so their experiences aren't lost to time.

Watch Doug’s complete interview “What They Never Told You About Leading a Platoon in Vietnam at 23” here: https://youtu.be/0DqMJPGbh8A