He Was in Vietnam Before the War Began | Reconnaissance Man Ep. 1

Before Vietnam became the war America remembers, James Lyle Steele was already in it. In Episode 1 of Reconnaissance Man, "Good Morning, Vietnam," Steele takes us into the earliest days of America's involvement in the war, when the mission was still forming, the battlefield was still being understood, and the cost was already very real.

A retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and one of the original generation of Marine reconnaissance men, Steele describes a brutal and fast-changing fight shaped by booby traps, poisoned bamboo, hidden tunnels, ambushes, helicopter assaults, and constant adaptation. This is not a distant retelling. It is a firsthand account from a man who was there before most Americans even understood the war had begun.

Created by investigative journalist Ashly McGlone in collaboration with the Marine Reconnaissance Foundation, and brought to life by Combat Story, Reconnaissance Man is a nine-part limited series following Steele's extraordinary 30-year military career through Vietnam, the Cold War, and beyond.

 

🎙️ Guest — James Lyle Steele
James Lyle Steele is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel whose 30-year career carried him through Vietnam, the Cold War, and beyond. A member of the original generation of Marine reconnaissance men, Steele's story offers a rare firsthand look at war, survival, and service across decades of American military history.

Ashly McGlone is an investigative journalist and the creator of Reconnaissance Man. As Steele's granddaughter, she pairs reporting, narration, and historical context with family connection to bring his extraordinary story to life with depth and care.

🔗 Find Reconnaissance Man and Ashly McGlone Online:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reconnaissanceman/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashlyreports/
🔗 X: https://x.com/ReconManPod
🔗 X: https://x.com/AshlyReports

 

🎙️ Host — AJ Pasciuti
AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:
📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/
📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/
🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ
👉 Combat Story Podcast — Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon)
Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast — Part 2 (Sniper vs. Sniper Battle)
Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

 

Chapters:

00:00 Reconnaissance Man Intro
01:42 The Cost of Fighting in Vietnam
02:46 Before Vietnam Became America's War
04:47 Meet James Lyle Steele
06:27 Good Morning, Vietnam
07:37 Learning How the War Was Really Fought
10:56 Tigers, Vipers, and the Terrain
14:41 Poisoned Bamboo and Booby Traps
16:27 The Ho Chi Minh Trail and Tunnel Warfare
21:16 Why the Enemy Was So Hard to Fight
22:03 Hidden Weapons, Firefights, and Guides
23:58 The South Vietnamese Forces He Respected
26:06 Why He Wanted to Stay
26:32 The Train Ambush That Should Have Killed Him
28:26 The First Helicopter Assault of the War
30:21 "General Taylor, Go Home"
31:43 The Helicopter Crash
34:00 What Americans Weren't Being Told
34:40 Next Episode: Cuba
35:37 Credits