North Carolina War Veterans Tell Their Stories
On UNC-TV's Focus On…North Carolina War Stories

The onset of a new war causes most Americans to pause and remember other conflicts in which the United States has played a part. World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War all bring to mind different images for each of us, depending on our vantagepoint at the time. In Focus On...North Carolina War Stories, UNC-TV presents nine veterans from different military branches sharing what war looked like from their vantage points. Focus On…North Carolina War Stories reaches beyond general discussion to look at personal experiences.

Focus On…North Carolina War Stories brings together veterans from the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force from different parts of North Carolina. Coastal residents will want to hear about the experiences of Jack Hoffler, a U.S. Navy veteran from Hertford who enlisted at age 14 and witnessed D-Day firsthand as the youngest soldier to storm Normandy. Wilmington's Harold Davis, a Korean War veteran, talks about his experiences in both Japan and Korea.

While Air Force veteran Jim Yanacsek of Marshville served in Vietnam, his son James experienced the Gulf War as an Army officer. Former Army nurse Becky Peters, now a nurse at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, witnessed the aftermath of battle in an army hospital in Vietnam, noting that the sight of destruction and smell of death affected even those not on the battlefield.

Led by North Carolina Now host Shannon Vickery, these veterans will not only share war experiences that have stayed with them, but will also speak about the circumstances that landed them in service and what their basic training taught them. Panelists also divulge the first "wake-up call" that hinted they might not return home alive.

Besides their experiences before and during war, participants will also share stories of life afterwards on the home front. Viewers will hear how homecoming differed for each veteran, how the public responded to their return, and what emotions they felt when they came home. In addition, participants also comment on some of the "unsung heroes" of war-the medics and combat support unit commanders. Their past experiences offer some unique views on the current conflict in Afghanistan, as they reflect on the 2001 war against terrorism.