Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

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PREVIEW: Battalion Surgeon in the Bulge Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

In this preview, we'll be sharing a clip from tomorrow's interview with Captain Loran B. Morgan M.D.. Make sure to catch our full interview with Morgan when it releases tomorrow.

Captain Loran B. Morgan M.D. served as a battalion surgeon and paratrooper in the Army during World War II. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and at the Rhine River Crossing.

After the war, Morgan became an optometrist, and invented an irrigation device for eye wounds that is still used by medical personnel in the field today.

He also went to Vietnam for 60 days as a civilian to run an eye clinic.

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B-17 Crewmember in WWII: LtC. James Wirth Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

Content Warning: Gore, Violence

Lieutenant Colonel James Wirth served in the US Army Air Force during World War II. As a togglier, he flew on bombers and was tasked with arming and dropping bombs as well as manning a turret on board.

In this interview, Wirth describes serving on a B-17 bomber, and the time his bomber was hit, injuring him and destroying one of their engines.

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PREVIEW: B-17 Crewmember in WWII Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Content Warning: Gore, Violence

In this preview, we'll be sharing a clip from tomorrow's interview with Lt Col James Wirth. Make sure to catch our full interview with Wirth when it releases tomorrow.

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Minefield in Vietnam: LtCol Jim Riordan Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Lieutenant Colonel Jim Riordan served as a forward observer in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. Forward observers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army and Marine Corps. They deploy near, and sometimes beyond, the front lines, and are tasked with analyzing the battlefield, locating allied and enemy positions, and coordinating artillery fire support via radio.

In this interview, Riordan describes Operation Harvest Moon, and his company being caught in a minefield.

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Demolition Unit on D-Day: ENS Nathan Irwin Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Ensign Nathan Erwin served in the Navy in World War II, and was among the first to invade Normandy on D-Day. As a member of a Naval Combat Demolition Unit (NCDU), it was his job to use explosives to destroy obstacles that could prevent allied landing craft from reaching the beach.

During the interview, he says he was struck when he saw all the headstones of civilians that were killed in the invasion:

“These civilians were killed, because they were maybe five miles back of the coast. And when those naval guns were shooting, these 16 incher guns and when the bombs were coming down and there was a lot of smoke and everything on the shore, they got hit. And you'll see them on the headstones…”

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The Power of a Radio: SSgt Brian Keith Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

Staff Sergeant Brian Keith was among the first Marines deployed to serve in the Gulf War. He served as a Forward Observer.

Forward observers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army and Marine Corps. They deploy near, and sometimes beyond, the front lines, and are tasked with analyzing the battlefield, locating allied and enemy positions, and ordering artillery fire support via radio.

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The Importance of Medics: CPT Max Cleland Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

"’You think I'm going to make it?’

And he said,

‘You just might.’"

Captain Cleland (later Senator Cleland) lost both his legs and an arm from a grenade explosion while serving in Vietnam. In this interview, Cleland describes the explosion and the crucial role that medics played in saving his life.

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Blowing a Path Through Omaha Beach: BM1 Nelson Dubroc Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Boatswain's Mate First Class Nelson Dubroc served in the Normandy Invasion with a Naval Combat Demolition Unit (NCDU) when he was just 18 years old. It was their job to destroy obstacles with explosives in order to clear the way for the rest of the invasion.

In this interview, Dubroc recounts the chaos of D-Day.

To hear more from Dubroc, check out his interview with the Veterans History Project.

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Capt. Harold Sperber: In the Hours Before D-Day Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Captain Harold Sperber served in World War II as a Pathfinder co-pilot. Pathfinders were small paratrooper groups that were sent to mark landing zones ahead of major paratrooper missions. Their work helped insure the success of the drop, but it was incredibly dangerous because they flew in very small numbers, very low to the ground (to avoid radar), and had no backup chutes.

In this episode, Sperber describes the mission he had on the night of June 5th, 1944, the day before the D-Day. Sperber and the rest of the pathfinders flew over Normandy and were hit, forcing them to retreat back to the English channel. They narrowly avoided crash landing and freezing to death in the cold waters.

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Maj. Richard Jacobson: Pathfinder Pilot in Normandy Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

Major Richard Jacobson served as a pathfinder pilot during WWII, and fought in the Invasion of Normandy. Pathfinders were paratroopers that dropped into enemy territory first, tasked with setting up signals that would direct the rest of the paratrooper fleet into the correct landing zones. Since they were often the first soldiers sent across enemy lines, this was an incredibly dangerous job. As a Pathfinder Pilot, it was Pedone’s job to fly the Pathfinders into enemy territory.

As a pathfinder pilot, Maj. Jacobson was responsible for flying the pathfinders over enemy lines to the landing zone.

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