Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Randy Bresnik was born into a family that already had an aviation legacy. His father was a U.S. Army Air Cavalry helicopter pilot in Vietnam and his grandfather spent five years as the official photographer for Amelia Earhart. But Bresnik would chart his own path, attending The Citadel as a Navy ROTC student and ultimately choosing the U.S. Marine Corps. He has flown 86 different types of planes but his favorite is the F/A-18.
Bresnik takes us through his journey as a pilot, his early deployments, his memories of 9/11, and he goes into great detail about his close air support missions in the opening weeks of the Iraq War.
He also details his pursuit of becoming a NASA astronaut, training for missions, and the family drama that played out on earth while he performed his first mission.
Interview recorded on May 29, 2023
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Support the American Veterans Center's mission to preserve the legacy and history of our heroes by making a tax-deductible donation today: americanveteranscenter.org/donation-form
Learn more about the American Veterans Center: americanveteranscenter.org
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/americanveteranscenter
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/AVCupdate
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/americanveteranscenter
Subscribe to the Veterans Chronicles podcast: link.chtbl.com/americanveteranscenter?sid=youtubedescription
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Video Credits:
Interviewer - Greg Corombos
Editor - Daniel Taksas
Pinnacle | Creative Visual Strategies
DP/Cam Op - Jon Hambacker
Randy Bresnik was born into a family that already had an aviation legacy. His father was a U.S. Army Air Cavalry helicopter pilot in Vietnam and his grandfather spent five years as the official photographer for Amelia Earhart. But Bresnik would chart his own path, attending The Citadel as a Navy ROTC student and ultimately choosing the U.S. Marine Corps. He has flown 86 different types of planes but his favorite is the F/A-18.
Bresnik takes us through his journey as a pilot, his early deployments, his memories of 9/11, and he goes into great detail about his close air support missions in the opening weeks of the Iraq War.
He also details his pursuit of becoming a NASA astronaut, training for missions, and the family drama that played out on earth while he performed his first mission.
Interview recorded on May 29, 2023
----------------------------------------------------------------
Support the American Veterans Center's mission to preserve the legacy and history of our heroes by making a tax-deductible donation today: americanveteranscenter.org/donation-form
Learn more about the American Veterans Center: americanveteranscenter.org
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/americanveteranscenter
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/AVCupdate
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/americanveteranscenter
Subscribe to the Veterans Chronicles podcast: link.chtbl.com/americanveteranscenter?sid=youtubedescription
----------------------------------------------------------------
Video Credits:
Interviewer - Greg Corombos
Editor - Daniel Taksas
Pinnacle | Creative Visual Strategies
DP/Cam Op - Jon Hambacker
