World War II / Korea

B-17 pilot Richard Bushong completed 28 combat missions over Europe during World War II.  He flew as a member of the 390th Bomb Group of the US 8th Air Force, the subject of the compelling documentary “The Cold Blue.” (L-R) BBG, Col. Richard Bushong, Alex Wright- 390th Memorial Museum Richard specifically requested to be a B-17 pilot. After completing combat training in Washington, he sailed to England aboard the Queen Mary. Some might consider this luxury travel but [...]

David Pyne Hitler could have changed the course of World War II had he made some different decisions. We have a “reverse lens” historic discussion with respected public policy commentator and national security advisor David Pyne. He has written a very interesting series of articles at Real History.com about how the outcomes of WWII may have been different. David hypothesizes that the Allies could have avoided war all together had they not insisted on the “Carthiginian Peace” of [...]

Easy Company was only one of the nine rifle companies that comprised the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II.  However, they became the best known thanks to Stephen Ambrose’s book and the HBO series “Band of Brothers”. Douglas Spain as Pvt. Tony Garcia Three guests join us to discuss Easy Company and their story; Suzanne Ryan has been fascinated with WWII history since the age of 12.  She has led historical tours of Normandy and helped [...]

“Rampage: McArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila” is James M. Scott’s fourth military history book and has been named a Best Book of 2018 by Amazon.  James is one of my favorite authors because his research is meticulous. Manila has been the scene of 12 battles, the first occurring in the year 1258.  The World War II battle began February 3rd and pitted two military leaders of great reputation.  For General Douglas McArthur, it was the fulfillment of his [...]

The Naval History and Heritage Command serves as the Navy’s institutional memory by preserving, acquiring, producing and disseminating Naval history information and artifacts.  Samuel Cox joins us to discuss the discovery of the remains of the USS Hornet – 76 years after she was sunk. Samuel became Director of the NHHC in 2014 after an illustrious 37 year career as in intelligence officer.  As a history major at the US Naval Academy, the opportunity to serve as Director of the [...]

Hell Below is a documentary series of the Smithsonian Channel describing submarine combat during the Second World War.  On today’s show we talk with James M. Scott, one of the experts featured in the series and retired Navy Rear Admiral Ron Morgan. James has written several excellent books about historical military events including Target Tokyo, Attack on the Liberty and The War Below.  Two of the submarines James highlights in The War Below are featured in the Hell Below series. [...]

President Truman presents Woody with the Medal of Honor Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams had no interest in joining the military but like many patriotic Americans decided to volunteer following the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Woody would have to wait until he was old enough join and his first attempt at the Marine Corps was rejected because he was too small. He was trained in the use of demolitions and operating a flamethrower after being shipped [...]

(L-R) Co-host John Eslinger, WWII Vet Al Arreola & BBG The purpose of the Collings Foundation is to organize and support living history events that enable Americans to learn more about their heritage through direct participation.  We broadcast today’s show from under the wing of a B-17 bomber taking part in the Collings Foundation “Wings of Freedom” Tour. Tiffany Denlinger, half of the Denlinger Team at Nova Home Loans begins our show by sharing information about the Veterans [...]

Tim Gray is the Founder and Chairman of the World War II Foundation. He has produced 18 World War II documentary films to date, with several more in post-production.  Tim is a master storyteller; just the kind of person we love on American Warrior Radio! His work has been recognized with FIVE regional Emmy Awards, THREE Indie International Film Fest Awards and American Public Television’s National Programming Excellence Award. Tim’s documentary films rank among the top five most requested programs [...]

Pearl Harbor, From Infamy to Greatness by best-selling author Craig Nelson is a real page turner! Five years of research and over 1 million pages of documents expose perspective and details that even well-read fans of World War II history will find enlightening. Craig delves into highlights from his book including the chaos in Japan that led to the ultimate decision to attack Pearl Harbor.  From conflicted military leaders to a revolving door of prime ministers, one gets the impression [...]