hmTv at HMTC Podcasts Ep 377: The Fog of War and Humanity with Richard Acritelli and guest Joe Cognitore P1 on hmTv
Ep. 377 — The Fog of War and Humanity: Sgt. Joseph A. Cognitore (Part 1)
In this episode, Richard Acritelli sits down with Sgt. Joseph A. Cognitore — drafted out of college at the height of the Vietnam War — to talk about the moment everything in his life turned upside down.
Joe shares the difficult decision to serve, the quiet influence of his World War II–era father and uncles, and what it was like to step into basic training knowing exactly where he was headed. From the grueling days at Fort Gordon, Fort Polk, and NCO school at Fort Benning, to the discipline, teamwork, and survival mindset drilled into every soldier, Joe reveals how training prepared him — and how being “in the field” nearly all the time reshaped his understanding of fear, leadership, and responsibility.
Honest, grounded, and deeply human, this conversation reminds us that behind every uniform is a life interrupted — and a story that continues long after the war ends.