Today
200: The North African Campaign: Desert Rats, the Desert Fox, & Operation Torch
“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.” This is the story of the Allied campaign in North Africa. Long under the colonial thumb of the belligerent European nations—namely, France, Italy, and Britain—North Africa ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 16
199: Building the Anglo-American Alliance: The US Enters the European Theater
“When do we get a whack at those Germans?” This is the story of America’s entry into the European Theater. After Pearl Harbor, American foot soldiers and generals alike are eager to get in on the action in Europe, but first, they have to cross the embattled Atlantic—easier said t ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2
198: The Pacific Tide Turns at Coral Sea & Midway
“It was almost unbelievable, but I was seeing it. Almost simultaneously, three [Japanese] carriers were wiped out. I knew what it meant. By golly, we did it!” This is the story of a battle that changed how wars are fought at sea—and of the thin margin between disaster and destiny ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2011
David J. Ulbrich, “Preparing for Victory: Thomas Holcomb and the Making of the Modern Marine Corps, 1936-1943” (Naval Institute Press, 2011).
The story of the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific Theatre in the Second World War is no doubt quite familiar to our listeners. Less well known, however, is the story of how the Marine Corps readied itself for the challenges of amphibious warfare during the interwar perio ... Show More
1h 11m
Nov 2022
54 History of Everything: The Last Stand of The Tin Can Sailors
The nonfiction book The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour is the first full narrative account of the Battle off Samar, which the book's author, James D. Hornfischer, calls the greatest upset in the history of na ... Show More
1h 13m
Jan 2021
Coal Wars | Charles Keeney on Restoring His Great Grandfather’s Legacy | 5
<p>Once the coal miners lost the Battle of Blair Mountain, the story of their uprising was suppressed, and their leader Frank Keeney eventually faded into obscurity—even among members of his own family. But historian Charles Keeney, Frank Keeney’s great grandson, has made it a pe ... Show More
45m 29s
Nov 2021
EP121: The Story of my Grandfather, The Company Without Corner Offices and The Doolittle Raids and the Battle of the Coral Sea
On this episode of Our American Stories, Robert Frohlich, author of Aimless Life, Awesome God, tells the story of his German born grandfather William Burtner- a man who helped build the "Arsenal of Democracy" in World War II; Kirk Aubry, the CEO of the supply chain services compa ... Show More
38m 16s
Nov 2021
EP115: The Origins of Veterans Day, America's First True Superhero and Our Nation's Youngest Noncommissioned Officer
On this episode of Our American Stories, Anne Claire shares the history of Veterans Day and the many ways Veterans have been honored throughout American history with the use of banners; Vince Benedetto shares the time he explained the importance of Veterans Day to an auditorium o ... Show More
38m 16s
Jul 2008
Christopher Capozzola, “Uncle Sam Wants You: World War I and the Making of The Modern American Citizen” (Oxford UP, 2008)
I confess I sometimes wonder where we got in the habit of proclaiming, usually with some sort of righteous indignation, that we have the “right” to this or that as citizens. I know that the political theorists of the eighteenth century wrote a lot about “rights,” and that “rights ... Show More
1h 7m
The impact of the 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood on the US Marine Corps is hard to overstate. Though in existence since 1775, the Corps was reborn in those woods. Not only did it give rise to new lore, but a whole generation of future leaders.
Given its significance, Greg sits down with Captain Mac Caldwell of the US Marine Corps to go several cuts deeper on B ... Show More
