Medal of Honor Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Only Female Recipient: Dr. Mary E. Walker Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

Dr. Mary E. Walker spent her whole life defying gender roles. She saved up money to go to college to become a Doctor, refused to wear women’s clothing her whole life, and served as an “Assistant Surgeon” (but still technically a civilian) during the war. She was captured and held as a prisoner of war for four months, and at the end of the war, she was awarded the Medal of Honor for her devotion to the detriment of her own health. Her medal was later rescinded in 1917, along with 911 other recipients, after the military decided to create eligibility requirements for the Medal of Honor. 50 years later, thanks to the help of her descendants, Dr. Walker’s Medal of Honor was posthumously restored by President Carter.

Dr. Walker was a vocal supporter of women’s suffrage, equal pay, and healthcare, and testified to Congress in support of women’s suffrage in 1912 and 1914. She received harassment her whole life for how she dressed, and in her later years, she opened her home to others who were ostracized by society.

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Ambushed in Afghanistan: SSG Robert J. Miller Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller served in Afghanistan as a Weapons Sergeant. In January of 2008, Miller was part of a Special Forces combat reconnaissance unit tasked with confirming enemy activity in the Gowardesh Valley. The unit had a successful initial engagement, in which Miller relayed information that became crucial to a lethal allied air strike. Afterwards, Miller was ordered to be the point man for a patrol tasked with doing a post battle assessment. The patrol separated from the unit, traveling to the opposite side of the valley and into a natural checkpoint as they navigated up a steep hill. There they were ambushed by 140 enemies. Holding elevated fighting positions on three sides of the patrol, the insurgents fired from less than 25 meters away. The patrol immediately retreated, but Miller charged forward, engaging the enemy and drawing a majority of the fire away from his vulnerable allies. He did this for over 25 minutes, killing 16 enemies and wounding 30, before succumbing to two gunshot wounds. He’s credited with saving the lives of 23 allies. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and sacrifice that day.

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Defending Till the End: PFC Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano was a native Hawaiian who served in the Army in the Korean War before Hawaii was even a state. When an overwhelming enemy force attacked their defensive position, Kaho’ohanohano ordered his men to fall back, but he stayed behind. Kaho’ohanohano laid down deadly coverfire to protect his men as they retreated, firing a machine gun and throwing grenades. He was hit in the shoulder, but held his position until he had completely exhausted all of his ammo and grenades. Armed only with a shovel, Kaho’ohanohano was overwhelmed by enemy forces, but killed two in hand-to-hand combat.

Seeing Kaho’ohanohano’s fierce dedication and bravery, his squad was inspired. They rallied and launched a successful counter attack, pushing out the enemy. When the dust cleared, they found that Kaho’ohanohano’s machine gun had bent because it had fired so many bullets.

Kaho’ohanohano was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his sacrifice, but decades later, it was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. On May 2nd, 2011, Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and it was received by his nephew. He’s buried at the Maui Veterans cemetery in Maui, and a National Guard Armory in Maui was named after him.

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A Selfless Hero: SGT John Phillip Baca Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

Sergeant John Phillip Baca served in the Army in a recoilless rifle team. His company was near Quan Loi, Vietnam and settled in for the night when an explosion went off in the distance. They recognized it as one of the tripwires they had set to alert them of enemies in their position. Baca and his platoon responded to the disturbance, and quickly came under heavy fire. Baca was preparing to fire when a friendly wounded soldier ran past, bumping Baca’s weapon off his shoulder. This caused Baca to see a grenade near his best friend and fellow soldier, Art. Baca shouted, alerting his platoon of the danger, and instinctively pushed Art out of the way. He then placed the top of his steel helmet on his stomach and jumped on the grenade. Baca and his helmet absorbed almost all of the concussion and shrapnel, and he lived to make a full recovery.

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The Battle of Ia Drang Valley: Col. Walter Marm Jr. Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

Colonel Walter Joseph Marm Jr. served in the Army during Vietnam. On the 14th of November, 1965, Marm and his company were tasked with rescuing a platoon that had been surrounded by the NVA. After their first push was unsuccessful, Marm led his platoon through heavy machine gun and light arms fire. Marm killed four enemies that approached their position before exposing himself to enemy fire in order to locate their hidden machine gun. He then charged the machine gun bunker alone, running through 30 yards of open terrain, again exposed to enemy fire. He then tossed a grenade into the bunker, killing several of the 8 enemies that manned it, and killed the rest with his rifle. As he motioned for his men to join up with him, he was shot. The bullet entered his left jaw and exited through his right cheek. Despite the wound, Marm walked back to his company by himself, where he was evac’d to a hospital.

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The Myth of the Arizona Balloon Buster: 1st Lt. Frank Luke Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

1st Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. served in the Army in World War I as a pilot. He quickly gained a reputation as being arrogant and overconfident, but he had the skills to back it up. He scored 18 aerial victories in under three weeks, mostly on unsanctioned missions. His friendship to his group commander allowed him to fly as he pleased, consequence free.

On September 29th, 1918, after almost being grounded by his squad commander, Luke left on another solo flight, destroying three German observation balloons. What happened after became subject exaggeration and speculation for decades to come. Originally, it was thought that Luke fought 10 German planes, destroying two of them before being shot down himself, and then died in a gunfight on the ground with German soldiers. For this he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Decades later in 2008, thanks to archeological digs, interviews with descendants of witnesses, reviewing unpublished material, and analyzing evidence, the truth was finally revealed. After destroying three German observation balloons, Luke had circled back to head home, but was down by a German machine gun. He crash landed and attempted to escape on foot, but succumbed to his injuries.

Luke was reburied at the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Italian War Cross, in addition to being the first airman ever awarded the Medal of Honor. He’s been commemorated with a statue that stands at the Arizona State Capitol, and by Luke Air Force Base, which was named after him. To this day, Luke’s Medal of Honor citation has never been updated to reflect the full picture.

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The Kamikaze Attacks: Lt. Richard Miles McCool Jr. Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

After an enemy Japanese plane crashed into the water besides the USS William D. Porter, it exploded causing the destroyer to partially leave the water and crash down again. Thanks to Lieutenant Richard Miles McCool Jr., the commander of a smaller Landing Craft Support ship (LCS-122), all 300 crew members were evacuated to safety.

The next day, on June 11th, 1945, the LCS-122 was subject to its own Kamikaze attack that made a direct hit to its bow. The impact caused an explosion and a serious fire that threatened to ignite the ship’s ammunition cache, igniting 120 rockets all at once. Despite his right side being covered in burns and shrapnel, Lt. McCool helped two wounded sailors escape the flaming deckhouse, and directed his crew in order to keep the fire from spreading. His lung then collapsed, but he was able to receive aid and be evacuated to another LCS.

Lt. McCool was awarded the Medal of Honor role in saving both the crew of the USS William D. Porter on June 10th, and his own crew on June 11th, 1945.

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The Black Panther Tank Battalion: S/Sgt. Ruben Rivers Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers served in the Army during World War II. He was a member of the 761st tank battalion, a primarily all black battalion nicknamed the Black Panthers. The panthers were considered an experiment by the U.S. military. At the time, the military was segregated, and they didn’t think black soldiers had the intellect or ability to operate tanks. The 761st had to train for two years before being deployed, as opposed to the usual few months.

Rivers and the rest of the Black Panthers arrived in Normandy in 1944. During 183 days of continuous combat, the Panthers traveled through six countries and liberated 30 towns on their march to Germany, becoming the first african american tank battalion to see combat.

One day near Geubling, France, River’s tank hit a mine, causing shrapnel to shred Rivers’ leg to the bone. He repeatedly refused morphine and evacuation, not wanting to leave his battalion. A few days later, the panthers encountered a German anti-tank unit, and their commanding officer ordered a retreat. Seeing the location of the enemy, Rivers radioed and said “I see ‘em, We’ll fight ‘em!”. He and another tank engaged the enemy, providing cover fire for the rest of the panthers as they withdrew. Suddenly River’s tank was hit by two high powered artillery shells, killing him and wounding the rest of the crew.

Rivers’ Medal of Honor recommendation was initially denied, but it was a long shot considering that at that point, no African American had received the award for their actions in either of the world wars.

Over 50 years later, Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his fighting spirit and daring leadership.

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The Lost Battalion: Four Medal of Honor Stories - Part 2 Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

The Lost Battalion was the name given to 554 American soldiers who were encircled by German forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. These men defended their vulnerable position for nine days with very little food, water and supplies. This episode tells the story of four soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor during those nine days: Major Charles Whittlesey, Captain George McMurtry, 1st Lieutenant Harold Goettler, and 2nd Lieutenant Erwin Bleckley.

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