Col. Charles Beckwith: Col. "Chargin' Charlie" Beckwith was a tough Army leader who left little to chance. But not even he could overcome the obstacles that stood between his elite commandos and the liberation of U.S. hostages in Iran.

Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr.: After flying combat missions for the Air Force over Vietnam, he soared on to get his Ph.D. and to become the first black American in space.

Lt. Col. Lucien E. Conein: From French Resistance parachute drops to Vietnam assassination plots, Lt. Col. Lucien E. Conein led a life of pulp adventure.

Gen. Alexander M. Haig: This political Army general has held many important jobs, including chief of staff in the Nixon administration, Ronald Reagan's secretary of state, and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Col. William R. 'Rich' Higgins: On Feb. 17, 1988, Lt. Col. William R. "Rich" Higgins was driving on a coastal highway between Tyre and Naquora in southern Lebanon when he was pulled from his jeep by Iranian-backed terrorists.

Maj. Gen. Jeanne Holm: She joined the military in July 1942 and didn't retire until three decades later, after becoming the first woman to reach the rank of two-star.

Gen. Daniel 'Chappie' James: From Tuskegee Airman to the U.S. military's first black four-star general, "Chappie" James achieved an American dream.

The Killing Fields Of Laos: After proving to be trustworthy allies of the United States, the Hmong in Laos were among the peoples abandoned to their unwarranted fate.

Sgt. Ron Kovic: Paraplegic former Marine Ron Kovic became an activist for peace and an advocate for veterans. His book, "Born on the Fourth of July," chronicled the effects of anti-war sentiment on the soldiers who fought in Vietnam.

Last Days Of Cambodia: As America's involvement in Indochina came to an end in the spring of 1975, the Khmer Rouge closed in on Phnom Penh for the kill.

Reflections On A Lost War: 'Twenty years ago I wanted a rematch,' says retired Army General John Murray. 'But now I look at America's involvement as a re-engagement in the interest of freedom.'

Gen. Roscoe Robinson Jr.: A committee at West Post has lauded graduate Gen. Roscoe Robinson Jr., the first African-American Army officer to wear four stars, as a role model combat arms officer for all cadets.

Army Col. James 'Nick' Rowe : Green Beret Nick Rowe used the horrors of a Vietnam POW camp to create a new breed of survival training. Eleven years after his assassination in Manila, he still casts a long shadow in the Special Forces community.

Sculpting A Vision: Thanks to the true grit of former Army nurse Diane Carlson Evans, the dream of a Vietnam Women's Memorial became a reality.

The Boat People's Priest: Following his five-year ministry in the Mekong Delta, Jesuit priest Joe Devlin became the champion of the Vietnamese boat people who fled to Thailand.

Gen. Maxwell Thurman: By urging potential enlistees to join the Army and be all that they could be, Gen. Maxwell Thurman reversed the public's negative post-Vietnam perception of the service he loved.

Wasted Air Power: Doing it right in the Persian Gulf War highlighted what went wrong in the air war over North Vietnam.