Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

Latest Episodes:

Specialist Nathan Dowds: Paratrooper in Iraq & Afghanistan Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Specialist Nathan Dowds discusses his training, the moments when his life was on the line, and the hazy morality of the conflict.

Dowds served as an Army paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed to Afghanistan twice, in 2002 and in 2004, and once to Iraq in 2003.

During the episode, he says this about his struggles:

“The world is full of pain and suffering, and has been since the beginning of time. And for me to expect my brief moment in this world to be different than every other moment is kind of naive”

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BGen Sydney Radley-Walters (Part II): A Tank Ace on D-Day Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Brigadier General Sydney Radley-Walters was a tank commander in the Canadian Army and was the Western Allies leading tank killer during WWII.

In the final part of his interview, Radley-Walters finishes his recount of the D-Day invasion, including the battle of Buron, Operation Totalize, and capturing Caen, and more. He also talks about the booby traps he encountered, air support, the smell of death, his tactics as a tank commander, and how he, without knowing it, killed Michael Wittmann, the Black Baron, an infamous German tank commander and tank Ace.

Radley-Walters is credited with destroying 18 German tanks and many other armored vehicles, and he was awarded an Order of Military Merit, the Distinguished Service Order, the Military Cross, and a Canadian Forces Decoration.

During the episode, Radley-Walters describes the aftermath of death inside the tanks:

“The smell of death, it sticks on you. And if you take a body and bury it or pick up a person who's dead and move them around, it gets on your hands, it gets on your clothes. You can't get rid of it. And it gets on a tank. Even though they took the tank back, they wash it all out, they repaint the inside with white paint and it's glistening, you get that horrible smell. The men, they called a ‘Jonah’ and they said, ‘We won't get back in that bloody Jonah, like the belly of a whale. We're we're going to get the new tank.’"

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BGen Sydney Radley-Walters (Part I): A Tank Ace on D-Day Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

BGen Radley-Walters was a tank commander in the Canadian Army and was the Western Allies leading tank killer during WWII.

He’s credited with destroying 18 German tanks and many other armored vehicles, and he was awarded an Order of Military Merit, the Distinguished Service Order, the Military Cross, an a Canadian Forces Decoration.

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Brig. Gen. Robin Olds: WWII & Vietnam Pilot (Part II) Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

Olds describes his experiences in Vietnam, his most memorable dogfight, and more.

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Brigadier General Robin Olds is a triple ace fighter pilot who shot down a total of 17 enemy aircraft during World War II and Vietnam. He flew all sorts of aircrafts, including P-38s, P-51s, P-80s and F-4s during his tenure. By the time he retired, Olds had collected numerous decorations, including the Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, the French Croix de Guerre, and the British Distinguished Flying Cross.

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Brig. Gen. Robin Olds: WWII & Vietnam Pilot (Part I) Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

Olds talks about his experiences in WWII and about managing fear, and describes the craziest coincidence you’ve ever heard of.

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Brigadier General Robin Olds is a triple ace fighter pilot who shot down 17 enemy aircraft during World War II and Vietnam. He flew P-38s, P-51s, P-80s, F-4s and other aircraft during his service. By the time he retired, Olds had won numerous medals, including the Air Force Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the French Croix de Guerre, and the British Distinguished Flying Cross.

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MAJ Richard Neece Ojeda II: A Lifetime of Service Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

Major Richard Neece Ojeda II served in the Army for 24 years. During that time he deployed to Germany, Korea, Iraq, Haiti, and Afghanistan, and was almost killed five times.

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CPT Jason Kander: PTSD After Afghanistan Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

CPT Jason Kander served as an Army Intelligence Officer in Afghanistan where he conducted extremely dangerous meetings with traffickers, informants, and local officials.

As a result of his deployment, Kander developed PTSD that severely affected his work and personal life. He decided to leave his very promising political career in order to receive treatment via the Veterans Community Project, where he is now the President of National Expansion.

To learn more about Kander, check out his memoir, Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD. All of Jason’s royalties from the book go to supporting the Veterans Community Project, which you can learn more about here.

To hear more from Kander, check out his interview on our other podcast Burn the Boats when it releases on September 7th.

You can find Kander on Instagram and Twitter at @JasonKander.

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Capt. Tom Smith: Combat Pararescue in Iraq and Afghanistan Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

Capt. Tom Smith attended the Air Force academy before becoming a Combat Rescue Officer (aka CRO). As a CRO, Smith led a team of pararescuemen that flew into combat zones in order to save fellow military personnel and civilians. He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Maj. Gen. Frederick “Boots” Blesse (Part III): His Heroes Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

Major General Frederick “Boots” Blesse served two tours as a fighter pilot during the Korean War, flying the P-51, the F-80, and the F-86. When he returned to the United States in October of 1952, he was America’s leading jet ace, and was credited with shooting down nine MiG-15s and one La-9.

Blesse’s motto and doctrine, “No Guts, No Glory” became famous after he returned from his second tour in Korea. He was asked to travel throughout the Air Force to teach it, and he eventually authored the textbook, “No Guts, No Glory”, that became a part of standard Air Force curriculum for years to come.

In this, the final episode of a three part series, Blesse talks about what inspired him to join the Air Force, what makes a good pilot, and the heartwarming story behind how he met his childhood hero, the famous WWI pilot, Eddie Rickenbacker

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Maj. Gen. Frederick “Boots” Blesse (Part II): “No Guts, No Glory” Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, the second of a three part series, Blesse tells the whole story behind “No Guts, No Glory”, and explains how dogfighting has changed over the years.

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