Earlier this month, six Iowa veterans told their stories at a live event in Iowa City. The event was "Roll Call: Veterans Share Their True Stories" presented by Iowa Watch and hosted by Talk of Iowa host Charity Nebbe. It took place on November 9th at Old Brick in Iowa City. In the link above, hear these veterans' stories:
Joe Gasperetti - He's a Vietnam veteran who served with the 4th Infantry Division from 1966–67. Back in 2011 he appeared on stage for six performances in a play, Telling: Iowa City with seven other vets who shared stories of their service and he's written a novel called Landon's Odyssey about a Vietnam vet returning home.
Nathaniel Blaesing - He joined the Army National Guard after high school and served for 11 years mostly in New Orleans as a Chief Warrant Officer and helicopter pilot. In 2004, he was deployed to Iraq and spent a year flying Blackhawk helicopters around the country.
Dena Dietzler - She enlisted in 1992 at age seventeen. She deployed with the 101st Airborne Division in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom I. She transitioned into the Army National Guard medical service corps in 2003 and was promoted to Major in 2010. She is not only a veteran, but she serves veterans in her civilian career at the Iowa City VA.
This program originally aired on November 22, 2017
Find the following stories in the audio above.
Dr. Jon Kerstetter - He served as a Colonel in the Iowa National Guard from 2002 until 2008 when he retired. He tells his story in the new book Crossings: A Doctor Soldier's Story. He completed three combat tours in Iraq starting in 2003, and he served as a combat physician and a flight surgeon.
Tim Nash - He’s currently the commander for the Iowa Medical Detachment out of Camp Dodge, he served in Baghdad in '05 and '06, as an ambulance platoon leader and as a public affairs officer in Divala Province 2009 and 2010.
William Reiter - He served with the US Army National Security Agency 1966–1969 as a cryptoanalyst and linguist with the 509th Radio Research Group in Saigon.
