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 1 of the 5 part series featuring B-17 Co-Pilot and Prisoner Of War Harold Dunn. In this episode, Mr. Dunn describes his life before entering the Army National Guard BEFORE WWII began as well as his training and upward movement through the ranks. We also introduce our first guest co-host, author Marilyn Walton who is a subject matter expert on the experience of the downed airman over Nazi Germany and also on Stalag Luft III where Harold Dunn was interned. This is an information packed series so please don't miss it!
Welcome to the final episode in the Gerald Gentis series. In this episode, Mr. Gentis details his first mission, describes the first B-17 his crew was assigned, "Mr. Lucky", his experience surviving 2 crash landings, the harrowing nature of formation flying, witnessing his old B-17 Mr. Lucky breaking in two in a mid air collision and an accompanying very extraordinary story of survival.
Welcome to EPISODE 2 of the 3 part Gerald Gentis series! In this episode we will hear Mr Gentis describe his brief transfer to a B-29 crew, his family's heritage in early aviation, his role as a tail gunner and togglier on a B-17, shooting down an ME-109 fighter and two "quirks" of fate that have deeply impacted him since WWII.
Welcome to Series 10! In this series we follow the experiences of Staff Sgt Gerald Gentis, who flew 30 missions as a Tail Gunner and Togglier in B-17g's of the 548th Bomb Squadron 385th Bomb Group of the Mighty Eight Air Force while stationed in Great Ashfield, England. In this episode Mr Gentis recalls how he enlisted in the military, his whirlwind training and being assigned to a B-17 crew heading to Europe to take the fight to Germany's military industrial complex.
BONUS EPISODE! Join us for our first bonus episode we call our AIR RAID edition featuring combat engineer Patrick Flynn who deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Mr. Flynn worked in route clearance and survived a traumatic brain and spine injury from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Upon returning home after his tour, he started a successful grilling spice company called "Frag Out Flavor". Please join us!
https://fragoutflavor.com/
In this final episode of the Bill Parker series, after linking up with the Russian Army at the River Elbe, T/Sgt Parker makes it to Victory in Europe day but his trip home is delayed after a jeep accident. He also tells us a great story about an orphaned boy who sought help from Bill and his unit, how Bill took care of him and how that young boy was smuggled back to the US on a troop ship. Bill also talks very poignantly about his struggles with PTSD that continue to this day as a 97 year old man.
In this episode 5 of the Bill Parker series, Bill tells us about the fog of war fighting from town to town, not knowing where you were and the horrible waste of life he witnessed as a squad and platoon leader. He also tells us about being on the outskirts of the Battle of the Bulge fighting, being wounded twice which nearly resulted in losing his foot as well as other stories from his 650 mile march across Europe.
IN episode 4 of 6, Sgt Parker talks about becoming a squad leader, facing the fearsome German 88mm artillery in battle, the fight in the hedgerows immediately after the D-Day landings, culminating in the battle at St. Lo France.
In episode 3 of this series, Bill takes us into his traumatic D-Day experience landing with Company E of the 116th Regiment, 29th Division in the first wave at Omaha Beach. Being first off of his landing craft onto Omaha Beach, he and 5 guys raced across the beach under fire with the job of cutting the barbed wire for the men behind them. A group of displaced soldiers began to follow Bill and his leadership earned him a battlefield promotion from private to sergeant on D-Day + 1.
In episode 2 of this 6 part series, Mr. Parker tells more stories of his teen years, riding horseback in weekend rodeo's and courting the girl who would later become his wife. He also discusses how he ultimately was drafted into the US Army in WWII and trained to be an infantryman using the greatest battle weapon ever devised, according to Gen. Patton: the M1 Garand rifle.
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