Stay ConnectedWe explore the oral histories of World War II veterans from interviews conducted by your hosts Tony Lupo and Ryan Fairfield.
We play selected clips from these veteran interviews to explore their experiences in their own words with the hosts providing compelling commentary and historical context. Be ready to get some mud on your boots!
Copyright: © 2022 Warrior Next Door, LLC
Welcome to Episode 3 of the 4 part Ralph Hettick series. In this episode Ralph moves to the invasion of Okinawa, the largest and costliest battle in the Pacific and would also be the last major land battle of WWII.
Welcome to Episode 2 of the 4 part Ralph Hettick series. . In this episode, we discuss the set up for the invasion of the Philippines and Ralph discusses the invasion of Leyte Island in the Philippines in October 20, 1944.
Welcome to Episode 1 of the 4 part Ralph Hettick series. In Episode 1 we learn about how Ralph entered the US Army and was immediately sent to the west coast for training before shipping out to the Pacific war. On his way he goes through the traditional US Navy “Shellback” hazing ceremony for crossing the equator.
We have a first here on the podcast. We have never had a follow up interview with a next of kin of one of our featured veterans and we have that for you today. You may recall Keith Muntz: the 100 year old veteran who fought outside of Metz France and was taken prisoner in his first battle in November 1944, spending the rest of the war as a POW. His grandson Tony Vestel reached out to us and we have a follow up conversation with him for you to hear.
In this final episode, James' travails from his 2 and half years in the Pacific continue. James will share where he was and how he felt when the war ended as a result of the US dropping two atomic bombs on Japan. You'll also hear about the celebration and ensuing court martial he and his battle buddy had to contend with! Listen in!
In episode 3, James Jennings talks about the invasion of Okinawa, the most costly battle of the entire war in the Pacific. You'll hear him talk about the training and landing of the troops from the USS Talladega on Okinawa and more about the US Navy casualties from a Japanese military fanatically resisting an attack on their homeland.
In episode 2 of the James Jennings, he'll share his experiences preparing for the invasion of Iwo Jima and what he saw when landed on beach to direct supplies and reinforcements from his ship the USS Talladega.
Join us as signalman James Jennings discusses how he entered the US Navy during WWII and was trained to land on the invasion beaches of Iwo Jima and Okinawa to ensure our troops were supplies and reinforced as they fought against the fanatical Japanese Imperial Army and Marines.
Join us as we share Alfred Cramer's experiences as a B-17 navigator aboard their bomber, "The Diplomat", that endured an incredible amount of punishment during his time in combat from August - December of 1944.
In this last installment we hear STILL MORE of his experiences during the war and how it affected his life when he returned home from combat.
Join us as we share Alfred Cramer's experiences as a B-17 navigator aboard their bomber, "The Diplomat", that endured an incredible amount of punishment during his time in combat from August - December of 1944.
This third of a four part series continues to explore his time in combat and the immense losses he observed from the bomber streams as they slowly bring the Nazi war machine to its knees.
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