You have my 110% respect as well brother. Thank you for your service hooah!!! If you're a marine I sure hope you dont mind the crayon jokes brother🍻🍻 😅. Army, combat wounded, 07' Ramadi 🍻🍻🇺🇲🇺🇲
I am so thankful that you are recording these veterans stories. These people are our current “Greatest Generation”. I respect them every bit as much as those who saved the world in WWII. Their stories should be recorded and remembered. They have made incredible sacrifices so that the free world can sleep at night.
@@scottbowles9574 yes I did, and I have family in both. Additionally the generation who founded this country and who reunited it were pretty great too.
@@mangravy2000 my dad is a Vietnam veteran. He was a PJ who spent almost three years in county. I don’t understand your comment. I’m not disrespecting any era veteran.
It’s so good that your website’s interviews don’t have the interviewer asking a million questions that completely destroy the flow of the stories these war fighters have to tell.
I watch veteran podcast and interviews constantly, and this man is one of the most well spoken, and articulate people I have watched. He made me feel like I was there several times!!
He reminds me of Rhodes scholar Karl Marlantis Vietnam veteran (best story) PTSD before it was battle fatigue. Definitely check it out. Ken Burns documentary
@@saheedrehman6030 The screenname says it all. Anyway, grow a pair and pick a soldier, sailor, airmen or Marine and see how that works out for you. Now move along, the goats and sheep are getting lonely.
Fun Fact during the first Battle of Fallujah the US Command had an investigation launched due to the large number of headshot kills against Those holding the city that they thought the Marines were executing combatants who'd surrendered, Forgetting the fact EVERY Marine is a rifleman first, no war crime was committed in this regard and it speaks to the training the Marine Corps once gave every Marine.
@@jericho1-4 I've seen this story often and the source isn't the most credible. The wording in the 2005 COMBAT ARMS issue makes it sound like a trijicon ad but in any case, the head was the only target available in a lot of cases in the urban combat that took place there so it'd make sense that there were a lot of headshots. That or these super marines suddenly disappeared afterwards. "In Fallujah, Iraq Marines with ACOG-equipped M16A4s created a stir by taking so many headshots that until the wounds were closely examined, some observers thought the insurgents had been executed." Nothing against marines btw, just don't like sensationalized BS that gets spread around so often these days. They're plenty proficient in real life, no need for tall tales to display that.
@@jericho1-4 If you actually know about a formal investigation launched by CENTCOM, please do provide the details. Would be an interesting read for sure.
I Graduated Marine Corps Scout Sniper School on 2/24/79 - At the Camp lajune rifle range !!! Both my parents three brothers and two sisters, Marines !!!
Are you apart of the CLJ water contamination lawsuit/did the water have any effect on you? I know it was somewhat starting to get settled around that point.
He was young and stupid so he was fooled by lying politicains that a man in a cave destroyed twin towers oh wait who brought down the 3rd building there on the very same day.
I’m one of those who was too young for Vietnam then too old for Desert Storm, so I was never in any branch of the US military. My uncle was in Korea and Vietnam in various capacities (infantry in the Big Red 1, tank gunner, Master Sergeant, etc.). In ‘72/‘73 he made it very clear to my older brother and I that we should never voluntarily enlist in any branch of the military, but.. if we were drafted.. that we needed to kill anything before it killed us. The draft ended at about that time so we didn’t have to join. My uncle retired but we later learned of his covert roles in intelligence, holding identification for both the US and Lybia. His records are sealed and we’ll never find out the rest of his true involvement in things. I have all the respect in the world for every person who served.
I am left with despite his pride he remains humble in the experience. Despite the wretchedness of the moment there is a thankfulness for the chance to prove himself. Long live the United States Marine Corps.
I enjoyed this Marine's stories very much. Brought back memories of my own experiences as a 5th marine ScoutSniper in Vietnam 1968/69. I graduated from ScoutSniper school in 1968. When I went to Vietnam I was an O311 grunt rifleman Hotel-co 2/5 for 6 months, then after being wounded twice, I was transfer to 5th Marine HQ-co ScoutSniper Platoon where I became friend and spotter for the great Chuck Mawhinney who was the best Sniper I ever served with. Sadly I just found out Chuck passed away in Feb 12 2024.
Semper Fi!!!!!! ususususus... Dear American Marine, Thank you so much for your service and lovely dedication to Our Beautiful USA, Semper Fidelis again. Please Strong American Marines.🥰😍🤗❤🤍💙💯💪🙏👍
How long are Marine Corps deployments? I believe they deployed and took over an AO for about 7 months, rotate back group 1 month off, then 6 month workup to go deploy again. Meanwhile, the Army conventional forces deployed for 12 months standard, and were routinely extended / stoplossed to 15 or even 18 months. So 3 combat deployments could be 21 months in the Marine Corps, but 36 to 48 months in the Army. That would about matchup with the E4 vs E6 rating.....
@@swingeasy987 Man, that is pretty cool that you know that. I’m in between army and marines right now and i love reading comments and just picking everyone’s brain. I was worried at the guys comment bc ik rank equals money but thanks for clarifying! have a nice day man
@user-ne2cu2vf7y Make no mistake, rank is hard to earn in combat arms especially in the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps believes in small unit leadership. Which in practice means they'll give you the leadership role. But nay not necessarily give you the rank for a year or two
I wonder if he knew my friend - scout sniper who passed in the line of duty. These guys saw an unbelievable amount of hardship to go take care of bad guys. Thank you.
for those wondering, his unit was V3/3. I never met him but i served in the same unit during the same deployment. He was right, we were getting it in with the enemy back in those days. V3/3 was deactivated in January 2023. Semper Fi. America's Battalion.
Clear and riveting story telling by Ethan about his service as a Marine. So happy you made it back home ! A true Warrior hero. Please stay sound of mind for what you went through and did for our Country. You had what it took. We need more men like you in our Military. I had one friend Randy that was in Afghanistan with you on 4 tours of duty and saw intense door to door combat fighting. Another friend is Dan who was a sniper like you, who took enemy fighters out. My other buddy John was in the Air National Guard in Afghanistan supplying you guys. We are all midwest guys from your neighbor state of WI. My wife was a manger of a local VFW club for 20 years. Thank you so much for your service Ethan. God Bless and welcome home !! ❤
I had a guy on my crew in the fire department that was a scout sniper in the Corps that did two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. He is probably the most humble person I’ve ever known. I was actually surprised he was in the military
It was so cool to hear him be able to say he did everything he could. It hurts so bad to hear These young men say: I should have been there. I should’ve died there with my friends. It’s good that he was given that gift. This is a great man and a hard worker.
This man is a hero. Some people talk about reasons for these battles in its entirety, but these men were just doing their job that they get paid to do.
There’s men that run and hide, and then there’s men like him…. Running through a hail of gunfire and RPGs to help another. Absolute ledgend, courage and valor we could never imagine. So thankful for these men ❤
Absolutely riveting story...This young man embodies all that is good in our country...Thank you sir for putting it all on the line for your team...and...may God bless you all the days of your life...🙏
I was Army Field Artillery and we trained with Marines at Fort Sill. They were amazing people and very dedicated. We were walking to our firing point with scooby door lunch boxes amd the Marines were cammo'd up and the Marine platoon was low crawling. Yut Yut Yut. Amazing stuff.
I find it strange to hear guys like talk about going on a shift from 2200 hr to 0800 hrs and talking about how hard it was. I'm sure it was, but it was also very different from when I was a platoon leader in an Airborne Infantry combat unit in Vietnam. I took over that platoon of 42 men in April 1968 and we were on full alert in the field 24/7 from that do on. The closest we ever got to having a break was my platoon was assigned to guard a bridge for a week on Hwy 1 leading into Hue. We only got fired up one night during that week. The whole rest of the time we were running company-size search and destroy patrols through the day every day when we were trying to make contact and develop the situation. And then every night I divided my platoon, which down to an operating strength of about 24 men by then, into two ambush patrols. The platoon sergeant took one and I took the other and we went out at night and set up ambush positions. During this time we were involved in many fights. Some major, involving more than one company for two days or more. And some "minor" involving a platoon or a squad in a rifle fight for their life. Life was just one long combat patrol day and night day after day and night. We were always sleep deprived and dehydrated but we always had plenty of C-rations or freeze dried LRRP meals and ammo. We started on the coastal plain north of Hue and eventually cleaned up the NVA regiment operating in our AO to the point where we went a week without making contact. At that point we moved our AO into the mountains and started working toward the Ashau Valley hoping to find resupply camps and trails leading to the Song Bo River. I liked operating in the mountains better than I did on the coastal plain along "The Street Without Joy". We found fewer booby traps there and more NVA who would fight you tooth and nail. Eventually my replacement came in and my job changed to Company XO. That same day I was involved in the most up front and personal shootouts I had experienced. Over a period of about 3 hours or so it was a face to face gunfight in a confined perimeter measured in meters. My platoon lost three men killed. My two point men in the initial burst when they walked into the dug-in bunkers of the NVA base camp, and my medic was killed in a burst of gunfire toward the end of the fight. We found 6 NVA bodies, all small arms fire, and multiple blood trails leading off into the woods. The jungle was so thick that I never did see an enemy soldier I just fired where I could see bushes moving. When I finally located their positions we put a storm of bullets and 90mm recoilless flechette rounds into them that had an immediate calming effect. I was med-evaced out the next day. But this pretty well sums up the type of day-to-day activity we experienced in the spring of 1968 in our post-tet offensive. Sometimes it was my platoon on point and sometimes it one of the others, but in April and May we went 29 consecutive days making enemy contact. A duty shift was 24 on and 24 on again, day after day, month after month. There was only one of my "original" airborne troops that made it out without at least one Purple Heart.
I wish I was there with these Marines. I served 90-94, missed the Gulf War…pretty empty feeling. Then the guys that lived this stuff like Ethan most of the time say “thank God you didn’t have to do this” …
My god I can't imagine going through that. My grandfather Lt. Col. Voorhees wrote a book about his time in Korea called Korean Tales. He also served in ww2. Thank you for your service!
My biggest regret is not becoming a sniper and getting my HOG tooth . I loved infantry , but I really wanted to go to sniper school. Glad he made it home . Semper Fi
Thank You Sir True Warrior and Service to Our Country and My Condolences To You and Your Family and Friends Lost 😇❤️😇❤️❣️ Salute To Your Service Men Amen 😇❤️😇❣️
I love the Marines! My dad was part of Carlson's Raiders. He told me that Carlson was crazy. He was shot on Iwo Jima bullet went through his best friend and killed him then landed an inch from my dad's heart. Pinned up on the battlefield with safety pins then put on the hospital ship Hope. He had many years where he hated the Japanese. He did mellow later on. Gung Ho came from the Raiders. I think the marines are the toughest group in the military. Just my humble opinion. Thank you for your service ❤
This man is the face of the military along with few others imo. A true leader,,selfless and obviously LOVES his country. Thanks 4 your service Cpl. Ethan Nagel.
Love your recollection. Better than me. Listening to you is great. Marine Artillery here. Strangely I miss that miserable unbathed life. Who knows why. 😂 Whatever. We survived.
Cop steel Ramadi Iraq. Small outpost in the city and boy did they zero us in with the 120mm too. Pissed us all off when they hit the food storage and our cereal cups had shrapnel all threw them. Eating one second biting jagged metal the next. Was a sniper too brother. Thanks for sharing your story
We all owe a debt of gratitude to all the young men and women who serve in our armed forces. I don’t say this lightly. We are able to lead our lives because they all make the sacrifice to protect us. You all are the new best generation!
You got shot twice and they didn’t send you home. I saw tons of Marines at Al Qa’im that had been shot and still going on patrol….no one talks about that.
Seriously, you were a corporal that took care of your brothers and you eliminated 3 high value targets while disrupting the meeting of Taliban leadership. You were a true man, Marine, American and brother. Glad you survived brother.
Dang crazy to hear his sniper instructor’s name! Was in Iraq with that dude. I wasn’t a sniper but he was attached to our company. It’s cool to hear stories about him
After serving 12 yrs, 3 combat tours and etsing in 08', guys like this have always had my highest respect.
And you have mine! Thank you for your service
You have my 110% respect as well brother. Thank you for your service hooah!!! If you're a marine I sure hope you dont mind the crayon jokes brother🍻🍻 😅. Army, combat wounded, 07' Ramadi 🍻🍻🇺🇲🇺🇲
Hooahhh!!!
I am so thankful that you are recording these veterans stories. These people are our current “Greatest Generation”. I respect them every bit as much as those who saved the world in WWII. Their stories should be recorded and remembered. They have made incredible sacrifices so that the free world can sleep at night.
Did you just compare today’s military to THE GREATEST GENERATION EVER???
@@scottbowles9574 yes I did, and I have family in both. Additionally the generation who founded this country and who reunited it were pretty great too.
Exactly 💯
Don’t disrespect the Vietnam veterans once again. Respect all combat veterans regardless of era.
@@mangravy2000 my dad is a Vietnam veteran. He was a PJ who spent almost three years in county. I don’t understand your comment. I’m not disrespecting any era veteran.
It’s so good that your website’s interviews don’t have the interviewer asking a million questions that completely destroy the flow of the stories these war fighters have to tell.
Well said
Dude recounted his entire service and I lived it as he told it! What a storyteller! Thank you for sharing and thank you for your service 🇺🇸
The greatest fraternity on earth.
Semper Fidelis🇺🇸
YEMX
Semper Fi 91-08
@@OUsoonerMarinethat’s a long time to serve ❤ thank you 🙏🏻
Semper Fi - 02-06 - Iraq 04.
I am convinced that i sleep safe in my corner of the world because of the work that guys like these put in. Big hug, big love!
There is no doubt
You do. Sleep well.
He dreaming well ,is it really freedom their fighting for ,or is it for rich politicians pockets and the old rich man that know each other,
@@DKarGarage Considering the deal they make joining the armed forces i highly doubt that the motivation is to make a fat cats pockets bigger.
Absolute nonsense
I watch veteran podcast and interviews constantly, and this man is one of the most well spoken, and articulate people I have watched. He made me feel like I was there several times!!
I’ll second this
He reminds me of Rhodes scholar Karl Marlantis Vietnam veteran (best story) PTSD before it was battle fatigue. Definitely check it out. Ken Burns documentary
@@georgecoull1883thank you very much for the recommendation, appreciate it
Humility and professionalism. A breath of fresh air in this world of the bearded ego SOF types.
is that why you left millions of weapons an ran back
@@saheedrehman6030 The screenname says it all. Anyway, grow a pair and pick a soldier, sailor, airmen or Marine and see how that works out for you. Now move along, the goats and sheep are getting lonely.
God bless you Little Brother. You’re a BAMF.
Semper Fi.USMC. 81-88
A humble man. It was an honor to listen to his story.
Those lil birds coming in hot, puttn in work. Oh man, fire me up!!! Too cool. Much respect!!
Not just talking tough. They LIVED it. 💯
Facts.
Fun Fact during the first Battle of Fallujah the US Command had an investigation launched due to the large number of headshot kills against Those holding the city that they thought the Marines were executing combatants who'd surrendered, Forgetting the fact EVERY Marine is a rifleman first, no war crime was committed in this regard and it speaks to the training the Marine Corps once gave every Marine.
@@jericho1-4 I've seen this story often and the source isn't the most credible. The wording in the 2005 COMBAT ARMS issue makes it sound like a trijicon ad but in any case, the head was the only target available in a lot of cases in the urban combat that took place there so it'd make sense that there were a lot of headshots. That or these super marines suddenly disappeared afterwards. "In Fallujah, Iraq Marines with ACOG-equipped M16A4s created a stir by taking so many headshots that until the wounds were closely examined, some observers thought the insurgents had been executed." Nothing against marines btw, just don't like sensationalized BS that gets spread around so often these days. They're plenty proficient in real life, no need for tall tales to display that.
@@jericho1-4 If you actually know about a formal investigation launched by CENTCOM, please do provide the details. Would be an interesting read for sure.
Shut up
Such leadership from a young enlisted Marine. The training, maturity and leadership he displayed is what makes fighting the US military so difficult.
I Graduated Marine Corps Scout Sniper School on 2/24/79 - At the Camp lajune rifle range !!!
Both my parents three brothers and two sisters, Marines !!!
Congratulations! Thank you for your service
That is one hell of a lineup🇺🇸
@@southboston9sure is! That’s a hard core family! Hi from Weymouth ❤
Are you apart of the CLJ water contamination lawsuit/did the water have any effect on you? I know it was somewhat starting to get settled around that point.
You have my respect soldier. May you be blessed in peace
What a beautiful man . A true hero !
You are a true hero sir!! We need 200,000 more of you!!
He was young and stupid so he was fooled by lying politicains that a man in a cave destroyed twin towers oh wait who brought down the 3rd building there on the very same day.
Thank you for your service. My son will grow up free knowing people have sacrificed everything so he can be here and live his life❤
Best one I’ve seen yet great storyteller of his experience. He gave his perspective and his buddies i could visibly see the battle in my mind.
He is an amazing story teller and also hosts the Nine Line Podcast gathering other veteran stories!
What’s he’s podcast
@@noriovaldos2837nine line podcast
I’m one of those who was too young for Vietnam then too old for Desert Storm, so I was never in any branch of the US military. My uncle was in Korea and Vietnam in various capacities (infantry in the Big Red 1, tank gunner, Master Sergeant, etc.). In ‘72/‘73 he made it very clear to my older brother and I that we should never voluntarily enlist in any branch of the military, but.. if we were drafted.. that we needed to kill anything before it killed us. The draft ended at about that time so we didn’t have to join. My uncle retired but we later learned of his covert roles in intelligence, holding identification for both the US and Lybia. His records are sealed and we’ll never find out the rest of his true involvement in things. I have all the respect in the world for every person who served.
What an Amazing man
I am left with despite his pride he remains humble in the experience. Despite the wretchedness of the moment there is a thankfulness for the chance to prove himself. Long live the United States Marine Corps.
I enjoyed this Marine's stories very much. Brought back memories of my own experiences as a 5th marine ScoutSniper in Vietnam 1968/69. I graduated from ScoutSniper school in 1968. When I went to Vietnam I was an O311 grunt rifleman Hotel-co 2/5 for 6 months, then after being wounded twice, I was transfer to 5th Marine HQ-co ScoutSniper Platoon where I became friend and spotter for the great Chuck Mawhinney who was the best Sniper I ever served with. Sadly I just found out Chuck passed away in Feb 12 2024.
Thank you both Gentlemen
Sir, I'm sorry for your loss and I thank you both and have tremendous gratitude for your lives. God bless America 💪🏻🇺🇲🙏🏻
Retreat hell brotha
That’s the small world of the Corps that we always speak of.
SF
Thank you for your service, courage and sacrifice to volunteer to make a change in life 🇺🇸💪🏻
Thank you brother.
Semper Fi!!!!!! ususususus... Dear American Marine, Thank you so much for your service and lovely dedication to Our Beautiful USA, Semper Fidelis again. Please Strong American Marines.🥰😍🤗❤🤍💙💯💪🙏👍
Dude ran that operation with the poise and determination of historic generals and commanders he should have received Medal of Honor
I second this motion!!💪🏻
Shout out the medevac pilots too who risked it without a second thought and landed in a hot ass zone like that.
Marine promotion is wild. 3 combat deployments, silver star, scout sniper qualified, and an E4. In the army he would be an e6
It's our crayon diet! OOHRAH brothers!!!!!!!!!
And rightly so
How long are Marine Corps deployments? I believe they deployed and took over an AO for about 7 months, rotate back group 1 month off, then 6 month workup to go deploy again. Meanwhile, the Army conventional forces deployed for 12 months standard, and were routinely extended / stoplossed to 15 or even 18 months. So 3 combat deployments could be 21 months in the Marine Corps, but 36 to 48 months in the Army. That would about matchup with the E4 vs E6 rating.....
@@swingeasy987 Man, that is pretty cool that you know that. I’m in between army and marines right now and i love reading comments and just picking everyone’s brain. I was worried at the guys comment bc ik rank equals money but thanks for clarifying! have a nice day man
@user-ne2cu2vf7y Make no mistake, rank is hard to earn in combat arms especially in the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps believes in small unit leadership. Which in practice means they'll give you the leadership role. But nay not necessarily give you the rank for a year or two
Thanks for posting/interviewing. Most importantly, thanks for your service Ethan.
We are Free because of this man and his Band of Brothers.
Absolutely ❤ we would 100% be living under sharia law or communism if we didn’t have them.
Warriors tend to seek opportunities to be tested by fire. His young man most definitely passed his test!
Semper fi did my tours in 03, 04-05 in Iraq.. best worst times in my life. Semper Fi!
I wonder if he knew my friend - scout sniper who passed in the line of duty. These guys saw an unbelievable amount of hardship to go take care of bad guys. Thank you.
This brother needs an upgrade to Navy cross.......for his humble attitude.
The Marine corps is too frugal.
God bless you brother
for those wondering, his unit was V3/3. I never met him but i served in the same unit during the same deployment. He was right, we were getting it in with the enemy back in those days. V3/3 was deactivated in January 2023. Semper Fi. America's Battalion.
I was in India co. 3/3 1980-1982. Fortes Fortuna Juvat!!
thank you
Semper Fi!
Proud to be a brother. Semper Fi. The Corps was built on the dedication and perseverance you showed.
Wow awesome story, thank you for your service
Thanks for watching!
Awesome that’s there is a forum for their stories. We can’t forget these men & women. Regardless of how one feels about this war, we cannot forget.
Clear and riveting story telling by Ethan about his service as a Marine. So happy you made it back home ! A true Warrior hero. Please stay sound of mind for what you went through and did for our Country. You had what it took. We need more men like you in our Military. I had one friend Randy that was in Afghanistan with you on 4 tours of duty and saw intense door to door combat fighting. Another friend is Dan who was a sniper like you, who took enemy fighters out. My other buddy John was in the Air National Guard in Afghanistan supplying you guys. We are all midwest guys from your neighbor state of WI. My wife was a manger of a local VFW club for 20 years. Thank you so much for your service Ethan. God Bless and welcome home !! ❤
I had a guy on my crew in the fire department that was a scout sniper in the Corps that did two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. He is probably the most humble person I’ve ever known. I was actually surprised he was in the military
It was so cool to hear him be able to say he did everything he could. It hurts so bad to hear These young men say: I should have been there. I should’ve died there with my friends. It’s good that he was given that gift. This is a great man and a hard worker.
Semper Fidelis, Brother. Outstanding service and sacrifice.
This man was an amazing storyteller
This guy needs his own podcast, he's made for it!
To all of the "few" awesome fighters who sacrifice so much for the many of us ...may the angels always be on your doorstep helping you return home.
This man is a hero. Some people talk about reasons for these battles in its entirety, but these men were just doing their job that they get paid to do.
This is the type of person you dream of serving with. Selfless. Fearless. Courageous beyond description. Wow. Thank You For Your Service!!!
Semper Fi brother
Silver star? What he did that day I thought warranted the Medal Of Honour.
Politics
WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV/PETITIONS.
There’s men that run and hide, and then there’s men like him…. Running through a hail of gunfire and RPGs to help another. Absolute ledgend, courage and valor we could never imagine. So thankful for these men ❤
hero. thank you sir for your service. dad was a Marine - Semper Fidelis
Team spear!! Good to see yah again. Take care
Thank you for your astonishing tale of bravery and survival, told with such humility.
Absolutely riveting story...This young man embodies all that is good in our country...Thank you sir for putting it all on the line for your team...and...may God bless you all the days of your life...🙏
the statement at the end says it all
Thanks
Thanks for your service Nagel
Thank you for keeping us all all safe
God bless you thank you for your service ❤️.
Thanks so much for your service foreal
Thank you for sharing, and thank you for your service.
Thank U for your Sacrifice and Service
And Thank U for Sharing
Stay Blessed
Sempre Fi…
Wow. Much respect to this warrior.
Semper Fidelis Brother, well done!
1st Force Recon Co. 86-94
A young STUD Marine, a “Cpl of Marines” Silver Star awardee, HERO. Semper Fi 75 - 05 👏👏👏🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺!
Good story. Thank you! We'll done.....I'm in awe.
Wow!!!! What an amazing story!!! Thank you!! 🫡🇺🇸
I was Army Field Artillery and we trained with Marines at Fort Sill. They were amazing people and very dedicated. We were walking to our firing point with scooby door lunch boxes amd the Marines were cammo'd up and the Marine platoon was low crawling. Yut Yut Yut. Amazing stuff.
Thanks for the kind words about your fellow brothers in green. Semper Fi!
I find it strange to hear guys like talk about going on a shift from 2200 hr to 0800 hrs and talking about how hard it was. I'm sure it was, but it was also very different from when I was a platoon leader in an Airborne Infantry combat unit in Vietnam. I took over that platoon of 42 men in April 1968 and we were on full alert in the field 24/7 from that do on. The closest we ever got to having a break was my platoon was assigned to guard a bridge for a week on Hwy 1 leading into Hue. We only got fired up one night during that week. The whole rest of the time we were running company-size search and destroy patrols through the day every day when we were trying to make contact and develop the situation. And then every night I divided my platoon, which down to an operating strength of about 24 men by then, into two ambush patrols. The platoon sergeant took one and I took the other and we went out at night and set up ambush positions. During this time we were involved in many fights. Some major, involving more than one company for two days or more. And some "minor" involving a platoon or a squad in a rifle fight for their life. Life was just one long combat patrol day and night day after day and night. We were always sleep deprived and dehydrated but we always had plenty of C-rations or freeze dried LRRP meals and ammo. We started on the coastal plain north of Hue and eventually cleaned up the NVA regiment operating in our AO to the point where we went a week without making contact. At that point we moved our AO into the mountains and started working toward the Ashau Valley hoping to find resupply camps and trails leading to the Song Bo River. I liked operating in the mountains better than I did on the coastal plain along "The Street Without Joy". We found fewer booby traps there and more NVA who would fight you tooth and nail. Eventually my replacement came in and my job changed to Company XO. That same day I was involved in the most up front and personal shootouts I had experienced. Over a period of about 3 hours or so it was a face to face gunfight in a confined perimeter measured in meters. My platoon lost three men killed. My two point men in the initial burst when they walked into the dug-in bunkers of the NVA base camp, and my medic was killed in a burst of gunfire toward the end of the fight. We found 6 NVA bodies, all small arms fire, and multiple blood trails leading off into the woods. The jungle was so thick that I never did see an enemy soldier I just fired where I could see bushes moving. When I finally located their positions we put a storm of bullets and 90mm recoilless flechette rounds into them that had an immediate calming effect. I was med-evaced out the next day. But this pretty well sums up the type of day-to-day activity we experienced in the spring of 1968 in our post-tet offensive. Sometimes it was my platoon on point and sometimes it one of the others, but in April and May we went 29 consecutive days making enemy contact. A duty shift was 24 on and 24 on again, day after day, month after month. There was only one of my "original" airborne troops that made it out without at least one Purple Heart.
You should be interviewed so that you can ensure that the sacrifices of your men are never forgotten.
Good on ya mate, the world needs more real men like you.
NOT DEAD YET. Semper Fi.
Best line ever!
I wish I was there with these Marines. I served 90-94, missed the Gulf War…pretty empty feeling. Then the guys that lived this stuff like Ethan most of the time say “thank God you didn’t have to do this” …
Thank You.
My god I can't imagine going through that. My grandfather Lt. Col. Voorhees wrote a book about his time in Korea called Korean Tales. He also served in ww2. Thank you for your service!
You my friend are a BEAST!!!!
Quite the story. Thank you, Cpl.
I was there late ‘06 to late ‘07. FOB Justice. You brought back memories I thought I’d forgotten about. Thanks for doing the job.
Wow, thank you for all your amazing service!
Genuine badass
God bless you always brother 🙏❤. Thank you for your service 🙏 ❤
My time in service is so insignificant. Thanks brothers.
Semper Fi brother, God Bless u and thanku, please stay safe my friend!!!
My biggest regret is not becoming a sniper and getting my HOG tooth . I loved infantry , but I really wanted to go to sniper school. Glad he made it home . Semper Fi
Thank You Sir True Warrior and Service to Our Country and My Condolences To You and Your Family and Friends Lost 😇❤️😇❤️❣️ Salute To Your Service Men Amen 😇❤️😇❣️
I love the Marines! My dad was part of Carlson's Raiders. He told me that Carlson was crazy. He was shot on Iwo Jima bullet went through his best friend and killed him then landed an inch from my dad's heart. Pinned up on the battlefield with safety pins then put on the hospital ship Hope. He had many years where he hated the Japanese. He did mellow later on. Gung Ho came from the Raiders. I think the marines are the toughest group in the military. Just my humble opinion. Thank you for your service ❤
Thank you for your service
Thank You For Your Service Blessings And Please Be Safe ✌️
This man is the face of the military along with few others imo. A true leader,,selfless and obviously LOVES his country. Thanks 4 your service Cpl. Ethan Nagel.
Thank you my friend and brother.
Love your recollection.
Better than me. Listening to you is great. Marine Artillery here.
Strangely I miss that miserable unbathed life. Who knows why. 😂
Whatever.
We survived.
Cop steel Ramadi Iraq. Small outpost in the city and boy did they zero us in with the 120mm too. Pissed us all off when they hit the food storage and our cereal cups had shrapnel all threw them. Eating one second biting jagged metal the next. Was a sniper too brother. Thanks for sharing your story
Kudos, thank you sir, semper fi brother!!
No need to censor the language. We want to hear unfiltered recounts.
I like it with the bleeps. It's like in combat when they use the silencers in jungle warfare!
Maybe they do that for TH-cam and not you
We all owe a debt of gratitude to all the young men and women who serve in our armed forces. I don’t say this lightly. We are able to lead our lives because they all make the sacrifice to protect us. You all are the new best generation!
Semper Fi brother. That’s the way to take care of business. Doc E 1/9 STA 92-95
You got shot twice and they didn’t send you home. I saw tons of Marines at Al Qa’im that had been shot and still going on patrol….no one talks about that.
Seriously, you were a corporal that took care of your brothers and you eliminated 3 high value targets while disrupting the meeting of Taliban leadership. You were a true man, Marine, American and brother. Glad you survived brother.
God bless Corporal Nagel.
This dude is obviously a warrior..you can hear it in his voice
The fact that this guy exists makes my bed more comfy
Rahhhhhhh!!! All that matters is getting the job done! Well done fellow Bellou Woodsman! Semper Fidelis!!!
What a man What an example of sacrifice
Dang crazy to hear his sniper instructor’s name! Was in Iraq with that dude. I wasn’t a sniper but he was attached to our company. It’s cool to hear stories about him