steve: tom beaty is the founder of the witness to war foundation based in atlanta, georgia. thanks for joining us here in our c-span studio. tom: thank you so much. announcer: vietnam war veteran charlie mcmahon talks about his marine corps service, his chance meeting in vietnam with journalist catherine ler

steve: tom beaty is the founder and managing director of the witness to work foundation.e are about to air some interviews that you conducted, some oral histories with those on the front line of combat. how did this project come about? tom: i grew up a big history buff. i grew up in a military family, and i just

. >> tom beaty was the witness to war foundation. we're about to air interviews that you conducted with those on the front line combat. how did this project come about? >> i grew up big history buff. i didn't grow up in the military family by -- i loved hearing the stories of soldiers in combat. i went on to be in college at the university of north carolina. i was a military history major. i began to realize it's part of history that i really love. it's not the geopolitical side. i began to seek that out and take them to breakfast and lunch and hear they are story. >> these are first hand accounts what they say. the horrors of war. how did it come about you permanently? you went to a grave site. you saw a tombstone. you found a veteran still alive in world war ii. >> i was visiting my grandfather and my father's grave site. nearby was a gentleman who passed away. he was not deceased yet. it noted that he was in the marines and world war ii. he a very unique last name. i looked him up. took him to breakfast we went to breakfast and he

. >> tom beaty was the witness to war foundation. about to air interviews that you conducted with those on the front line combat. did this project come about? history buff.ig i didn't grow up in the military -- i loved hearing the stories of soldiers in

steve: tom beaty is the founder of the witness to war foundation based in atlanta, georgia. thanks for joining us here in our c-span studio. tom: thank you so much. announcer: vietnam war veteran charlie mcmahon talks about his marine corps service, his chance meeting in vietnam with journalist catherine leroy, and his time with cap, the combined action program that placed his unit in a village to live and work with local vietnamese. the interview was conducted with the witness to war foundation and is about 45 minutes. martin: i am with the witness to war foundation. and weovember 10, 2015, are at the combined action program reunion in california. charlie mcmahon served in the vietnam war in the united states marine corps and the combined action program hotel five as well as until six. how are you doing today? it is an honor to be with you today. my first question is, where are you from originally? charlie: i grew up in cambridge, massachusetts. i came from a large family. i have three brothers and eight sisters. inttended parochial schools watertown, massachusetts. -- it se

. >>> tom beaty, we are about to air interviews that you conducted, oral histories with those on the front line of the combat. how did this project come about? >> sure. i grew up a big history buff, i guess. i didn't grow up in a military family and loved hearing the actual stor