Panelists

William "Cleve" Cox
World War II
Pvt. First Class US Army
Cleve served in the US Army's 4th Infantry Division during World War II after being drafted. At 19 years old, he went to Fort Bragg to be examined for entrance into the Army and passed. Wounded in combat in Germany in 1944, he began serving as adjutant/quartermaster of the state chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is now retired from that position. Click here for video

Jack Hoffler
World War II
Seaman Second Class US Navy
Jack enlisted in the US Navy at age 14 and was discharged at age 16. He was present in Normandy at D-day but was too young to put in the frontlines of battle. Because of his age, he was also denied the Purple Heart, as were several other servicemen who were underage. He has spent his life trying to change that policy and reward veterans who fought at a young age.

Harold Davis
Korean War
Sergeant US Army
Harold was in the 20th infantry of the Army. Unlike many of the other panelists, Harold was drafted into the Army. He was only 19 when he was sent to California to basic training, and then he went to Japan. His trip overseas had been only his third time out of North Carolina. From Japan, he was then sent to Korea.

Marshall B. Bass
Korean War
Colonel--US Army
Marshall retired as a full Colonel from the Army. He served in the Korean War as a rifle company commander, entering the Army as a junior in college. At the end of the war, he went to officer's training school. He is also a former board chairman at St. Augustine's College.

Becky Peters
Vietnam War
Captain US Army
Becky was only a sophomore in college when she signed up for the Army. At the time, her roommate's father had fallen ill, and her roommate could no longer afford to stay in school. Since the Vietnam War was already going on, military scholarships were quite plentiful. Becky accompanied her roommate and signed up as an Army nurse as well, never believing she would be involved in the war. Three months later, however, she received her orders to go to Vietnam.

Jim Yanacsek
Vietnam War
U.S. Air Force
Jim completed 3 tours in Vietnam: one at the onset of the conflict, one in the throes of battle in the 60's, and one near the end. For his service he received the Flying Cross. Since the time he was a child, Jim had always wanted to fly an airplane. When he reached college age, he decided to sign up for the Air Force.

Phail Wynn
Vietnam War
Special Forces US Army
Phail went to the University of Oklahoma and joined ROTC. He was commissioned June 1, 1969 as a second lieutenant and went to Fort Bragg. Three months later he was in the 82nd Airborne and volunteered for Vietnam. He was told that he was replacing someone who had stepped on a landmine and had lost both his legs. He went to Vietnam as a Special Forces officer who was attached to the 23rd Infantry Division. He is now president of Durham Technological Community College, and viewers may recognize him from The Growing Crisis.

Dr. Ross Lighty
Gulf War
Colonel US Army
Now a professor of toxicology at North Carolina State University, Dr. Lighty commanded a combat support group during the Gulf War and went to Iraq with the infantry division. At age 51, he commanded the unit for 7 months, and most of the time his unit housed, fed and supported many of the Kuwaiti people. He was part of a 700 vehicle convoy that was protected by little more than an M-16.

Jim Yanacsek, Jr.
Gulf War
US Army
Jim admired his father's duty in the Air Force, and so he knew that when he reached the age to choose his life's destiny, he wanted to join the Armed Forces. Because his vision was not precise enough to fly, he joined the Army after first signing up with the National Guard. He served in the 101st airborne and was attached to the 210th military police campaign. He is now a Charlotte police officer, is in the Army Reserves and is still active in the National Guard.