Curious Humanography

Curious Humanography

Diving into the curious, compelling, and often unbelievable experiences that shape the human journey.

  1. What They Don’t Tell You About Being an Artillery Sergeant in Vietnam

    1 DAY AGO

    What They Don’t Tell You About Being an Artillery Sergeant in Vietnam

    What was it really like to be an artillery sergeant in Vietnam? In this powerful episode, Paul Henderson shares an unfiltered account of his service during the Vietnam War, from volunteering for the draft in 1968, to leading a 105mm howitzer crew in some of the most dangerous areas of the war. Paul walks us through life on remote firebases, artillery raids deep into hostile territory, incoming rocket and mortar attacks, and the night his life nearly ended in a devastating gun pit explosion.But this episode goes far beyond combat stories; Paul opens up about coming home to a country that didn’t want to hear about Vietnam, struggling silently with PTSD, addiction, guilt, and eventually finding a path toward healing. His perspective on empowering veterans is one of the most honest and insightful conversations we’ve had on the podcast.This episode is about courage, brotherhood, trauma, accountability, and what real healing can look like when veterans are finally allowed to tell their stories.🇺🇸 Thank you to Paul for his honesty, courage, and willingness to share his story.CHAPTERS: 01:05 – Volunteering for the Draft (1968)05:00 – Instant NCO School & Preparing for Combat08:20 – Flying to Vietnam & First Impressions10:00 – 101st Airborne & Life on a Mountain Fire Base15:00 – Inside a 105mm Howitzer Crew19:30 – Tet 68 & Covering the A Shau Valley22:15 – Artillery Raids Behind Enemy Lines24:30 – When the Sappers Hit the Wire27:30 – The First Rocket Attack (Freezing in Fear)30:00 – Brotherhood, Responsibility & Growing Into Command33:30 – The Explosion That Changed Everything36:30 – Medevac & The Reality of War Hospitals39:45 – The Burn Ward in Japan42:30 – Leaving Vietnam: Relief, Guilt & Something Unspoken46:00 – Coming Home to an Unpopular War49:00 – Skiing, Drinking & Detoxing Vietnam52:00 – PTSD, Darkness & Nightmares55:00 – Why I Went Back into Special Forces58:00 – What Vietnam Really Did to Me

    1h 35m
  2. What They Don’t Tell You About Flying Loaches in Vietnam

    4 FEB

    What They Don’t Tell You About Flying Loaches in Vietnam

    In this episode, we sit down with Ben Thornal, a retired U.S. Army aviator who served in Vietnam flying OH-6 “Loach” helicopters during some of the war’s most intense operations, including Hamburger Hill.Ben takes us from the moment he received his draft notice, through flight school, combat reconnaissance missions, near-misses, loss, and the brotherhood that defined his service. He shares what it was really like flying low and slow over hostile terrain, calling in gunships, surviving being shot down, and witnessing extraordinary courage — including a Dustoff rescue that still stays with him decades later.But this conversation isn’t just about combat. It’s also about love, memory, and what comes after war. Ben reflects on meeting his wife Diane in Vietnam, coming home, living with PTSD, and why telling these stories still matters.Ben Thornal also appears alongside his wife, Diane, in the documentary "The Donut Dollies: 627 Women who Also Served in Vietnam", where they share their remarkable love story that began during the Vietnam War. To hear more of Ben and Diane’s story, watch the amazing documentary here:    • The Donut Dollies: 627 Women who Also Serv...  If you or someone you know has a story that should be heard, we'd love to hear from you at humanographyproject@gmail.com. CHAPTERS: 02:10 – Getting the Draft Notice06:45 – Officer Candidate School (OCS)11:20 – Flight School: Learning to Fly16:40 – Assigned to the OH-6 “Loach”20:55 – Arriving in Vietnam25:10 – What a Recon Mission Really Looked Like30:45 – Hamburger Hill36:30 – Being Shot Down & Dustoff Rescue47:20 – Life Between Missions52:30 – The 4th of July Incident56:40 – Donut Dollies & Meeting Diane1:01:30 – Coming Home from Vietnam1:11:30 – Why These Stories Still Matter🎖️ Curious Humanography is proud to partner with Utah Honor Flight, helping veterans visit memorials built in their honor. To learn more or support their mission, visit UtahHonorFlight.org and honorflight.org.If this story moved you, please consider liking, commenting, and subscribing — it helps us continue sharing stories that deserve to be heard.

    1h 22m
  3. What They Don’t Tell You About Being an Armorer in Vietnam

    10 JAN

    What They Don’t Tell You About Being an Armorer in Vietnam

    In this episode, Vietnam veteran and writer Brian Delate shares stories he’s carried for decades: from being drafted at 19, to flying into Vietnam on a commercial airline, to unexpectedly becoming the armorer for a helicopter company responsible for millions of dollars in weapons and equipment. Brian talks about what they don’t tell you about Vietnam: the heat and the smell when you step off the plane, the pressure of leadership at a young age, the loyalty forged between soldiers, and the psychological weight that lingers long after the war ends. He reflects on boot camp at Fort Bragg, flying into Cam Ranh Bay, trying (and failing) as a door gunner, and eventually being trusted to run weapons and supplies in a combat zone,  all while still a teenager. Beyond the battlefield, Brian shares how those experiences shaped his later life as an actor, writer, and advocate for veterans, and how storytelling became a way to process trauma, honor fallen friends, and help others feel less alone. This is a conversation about war, responsibility, memory, loyalty, and the things veterans are rarely asked but always remember. 🎖️ Thank you to Brian for trusting us with his story. Brian Delate: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0216507/ Guardianangelsfilm.com GUARDIAN ANGELS ~ reveals how the human angels on and of this world and those entities from another realm can guide and direct us. In 1973, a profound event in the form of a dream transformed Brian Delate’s life. Was it a close encounter? An Out-Of-Body experience? Or a visit from “The Great Beyond”? You decide. After having served in the Vietnam War, the path after coming home was destructive, but real-life guardian angels intervened to guide him in a life-affirming direction. The dream came later, but its impact on his thinking and behavior would be forever. Especially, with the aftermath of the war and the suicide ideation that followed. So, Guardian Angels contains a life-affirming message, which is about living.

    2h 7m

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Diving into the curious, compelling, and often unbelievable experiences that shape the human journey.

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