{"podcast":{"title":"Veterans Chronicles","slug":"veterans-chronicles-608161","podcast_index_feed_id":608161,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/2980518/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/veterans-chronicles","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/e41bccc94ca5a4c02e6c6a01a32a9ba7.jpg","author":"Radio America","episode_count":550,"summary":"Veterans Chronicles brings America’s military heroes to life through raw, first-person stories. Veterans recount the battles and moments that shaped their lives, from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. Powerful, personal, and deeply human, Veterans Chronicles preserves history one voice at a time. Learn more about Veterans Chronicles https://heliosmedia.us/veterans-chronicles/","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T00:18:34.826964+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/veterans-chronicles-608161"},"episode":{"title":"SGT Vince Makela, U.S. Army Green Beret, Afghanistan 'Horse Soldiers'","slug":"sgt-vince-makela-u-s-army-green-beret-afghanistan-horse-soldiers","published_at":"2026-07-15T11:00:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/veterans-chronicles-608161/sgt-vince-makela-u-s-army-green-beret-afghanistan-horse-soldiers","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/veterans-chronicles-608161","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/sgt-vince-makela-u-s-army-green-beret-afghanistan-horse-soldiers--72972074","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72972074/20260715_vince_makela_final.mp3","summary":"Vince Makela enlisted in the U.S. Army while he was still in high school. After basic training, he specialized in communications and dreamed of flight school. When that dream didn't come true, Makela set his sights on another impressive goal - becoming a Green Beret. Several years later, he found himself in one of the first American units to set foot in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595 not only achieved amazing results, but the men also became widely known as the \"Horse Soldiers.\" In this edition of Veterans Chronicles , Makela takes us from basic training to a very meaningful early deployment to Korea. He also walks us through selection and qualifying for U.S. Army Special Forces and his vivid memories of 9/11. From there, Makela explains how ODA 595 was quickly ordered to prepare for deployment and draw up plans for its operation in Afghanistan. You'll also hear how no one in the unit was expecting to become a horse soldier and how they adapted rather quickly to the mission. Finally, Makela tells about the part of that mission that he still considers the highlight of his military career.","meta_description":"Vince Makela enlisted in the U.S. Army while he was still in high school. After basic training, he specialized in communications and dreamed of flight sch…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2139,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/veterans-chronicles-608161/episodes/sgt-vince-makela-u-s-army-green-beret-afghanistan-horse-soldiers/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/veterans-chronicles-608161/sgt-vince-makela-u-s-army-green-beret-afghanistan-horse-soldiers.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}