Col. George Ferkes, USAF, Vietnam, Operation Eagle Claw

George Ferkes could not pass up the opportunity to fly in the U.S. Air Force. After finishing flight school in 1970, he soon found himself in the skies over Vietnam. Ferkes flew in support of Operation Lam Son 719/Dewey Canyon II and the Siege of Fire Support Base Fuller. Less than a decade later, Ferkes was co-piloting an MC-130 gunship as part of Operation Eagle Claw in the mission designed to rescue hostages in Iran.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ferkes takes us inside the intensity of combat in Vietnam and the actions for which he received a Silver Star during the fight at FSB Fuller. He also walks us through the planning for Operation Eagle Claw, how the mission unfolded, and how it ultimately had to be aborted and ended in in the loss of eight American heroes.

Finally, Ferkes shares his memories of Joint Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command taking shape in the wake of Operation Eagle Claw and his role in planning the U.S. intervention in Grenada and our response to the terrorist hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea.