Beyond the Call: Medal of Honor Stories

Beyond the Call: Private First Class John C. Squires at Spaccasassi Creek near Padiglione, Italy, 1944 follows a young infantryman of the United States Army through a night of mines, artillery, and close combat in the Italian campaign of World War II, tracing how his initiative under fire rebuilt a shattered attack and held a fragile foothold against repeated counterattacks. This episode blends a...

Beyond the Call: Technical Sergeant Cleto L. Rodríguez at Paco Railroad Station, Manila, 1945 follows a young Mexican-American infantryman as he breaks away from his pinned platoon to assault a fortified strongpoint during the battle for Manila in World War II. Listeners hear a ground-level narrative of the fight for the Paco Railroad Station, the decisions that pushed him across open ground under...

Beyond the Call: Private First Class Lloyd C. Hawks at Carano, Italy, 1944 follows a combat medic who crawls into open ground under relentless fire to reach and save wounded comrades. Listeners hear a vivid account of his repeated crossings between the lines, the desperate conditions on the Anzio beachhead, and the wider Italian campaign of World War Two that framed his actions. The narrative weav...

Beyond the Call: Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class William David Halyburton Jr. at Awacha Draw, Okinawa, 1945 follows a young Navy corpsman attached to a Marine rifle company in one of the fiercest battles of the Pacific War, tracing his path from North Carolina to the fire-swept ravine where he gave his life shielding a wounded Marine. Listeners hear the story of the Okinawa campaign, the deadly ter...

Beyond the Call: Private First Class Clarence Byrle Craft at Hen Hill, Okinawa, 1945 follows a young rifleman’s one-man assault that helped crack a key Japanese strongpoint during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II, placing listeners on the muddy slope as he charges through machine-gun fire, grenades, and a deadly cave stronghold. This episode weaves the larger context of the Pacific campaign w...

Beyond the Call is a narrative podcast that brings Medal of Honor stories to life, one battlefield at a time. Each episode focuses on a single recipient, weaving together their personal background, the historical stakes of the fight, and a clear, gripping account of what happened in those crucial minutes when everything was on the line. You’ll hear how ordinary Americans found themselves in extrao...

This episode of “Beyond the Call: Medal of Honor Stories” tells the story of Corporal Henry F. Warner, a 21-year-old antitank gunner whose courage on a frozen Belgian hillside helped halt a German armored thrust during the Battle of the Bulge. Near the village of Dom Bütgenbach in December 1944, Warner and his 57mm antitank gun faced repeated attacks from German tanks and infantry. Wounded, under...

Commander George Fleming Davis’s story stands as one of the most striking examples of courage at sea during the Second World War. As commander of the destroyer United States Ship Walke during the approach to Lingayen Gulf on January sixth, nineteen forty five, Davis faced a relentless wave of suicide aircraft. Though mortally wounded when his ship was struck, he refused to abandon the bridge, stee...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. I am your host, and today we bring you the extraordinary story of Private First Class Manuel Pérez Jr., a paratrooper of the 11th Airborne Division whose bravery at Fort William McKinley in February 1945 would help secure a crucial victory in the liberation of the Philippines. You can find more on the military and the M...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. I’m your host, and today we bring you the remarkable story of a Marine whose actions on the black sands of Iwo Jima would earn him the Medal of Honor and the nickname “One-Man Regiment.” This episode is drawn directly from our full-length article, preserving every detail so you can experience the battle as it unfolded....

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. In this episode, we bring you the incredible story of Colonel Leon William Johnson, a United States Army Air Corps commander whose courage in World War II earned him the Medal of Honor. On August 1, 1943, Johnson led his B-24 Liberators into the heart of one of the most heavily defended targets in Europe — the Ploesti o...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. Today’s episode takes you to the mud-soaked fields outside Carano, Italy, in February 1944, where one man’s courage and decisive action changed the fate of his patrol. Sergeant Paul B. Huff of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion would cross 200 yards of open ground under withering enemy fire, dismantling machine gun...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. Today’s episode shares the extraordinary story of First Lieutenant Donald Joseph Gott, whose final flight over Germany in nineteen forty four became a lasting testament to courage and selflessness. Against impossible odds, with his B Seventeen bomber crippled by enemy fire and three crew members gravely wounded, he refu...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. Today’s episode explores the remarkable story of Private Joe Gandara, a paratrooper of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, whose actions on June 9, 1944, in the French village of Amfreville, embody courage in its purest form. Under intense enemy fire that pinned his unit for hours, Gandara ros...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. Today’s episode explores the extraordinary story of Donald Kirby Ross, a man whose actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor set the standard for courage under fire. As the USS Nevada came under relentless Japanese attack, Ross fought not on the deck or at the guns, but deep in the dynamo rooms, keeping the ship’s power...

Welcome to Beyond the Call , where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. Today’s episode takes us to the hedgerow country of Normandy in June 1944, where Private First Class Charles N. DeGlopper of the 82nd Airborne Division made a choice that would seal his fate and save his comrades. Under withering German fire near La Fière, he stepped into the open and drew enemy attention, holding his...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. Today’s episode tells the powerful story of Private First Class James Dennis La Belle, a United States Marine who, in the heat of the Battle of Iwo Jima, made the ultimate sacrifice to save his fellow Marines. On March 8, 1945, in the chaos of close combat, La Belle threw himself onto a live grenade, shielding his comra...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. Today’s episode tells the story of Captain Robert Hugo Dunlap, United States Marine Corps Reserve, whose actions on Iwo Jima in 1945 earned him the Medal of Honor. Leading Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, Dunlap advanced under relentless enemy fire, personally locating and directing attacks against heavily fortif...

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. Today we bring you the remarkable story of Sergeant Hulon Brooke Whittington, a Medal of Honor recipient whose courage in the fields of Normandy during World War Two stands as a testament to decisive leadership under fire. On the night of July twenty-ninth, nineteen forty-four, near the village of Grimesnil, France, Whi...

This episode of Beyond the Call brings to life the story of Franklin Douglas Miller, a Green Beret whose heroic actions during a mission in Vietnam earned him the Medal of Honor. Alone and wounded, Miller took command of a decimated patrol and fought off multiple enemy assaults, saving his team and embodying the essence of battlefield leadership. Narrated directly from the full article, this audio...

Today on Beyond the Call, we explore the inspiring story of Private First Class Joseph R. Ouellette, a young soldier whose courage defined the desperate battle for Yongsan during the Korean War. Facing overwhelming enemy forces, Ouellette repeatedly risked his life to resupply and defend his comrades, ultimately making the ultimate sacrifice.   This podcast episode vividly recounts Ouellette’s ext...

In this episode of Beyond the Call , we bring you the gripping account of Second Lieutenant Charles William Shea, whose fearless leadership and gallant solo assault near Mount Damiano during World War II earned him the Medal of Honor. As the 88th Infantry Division fought to break through fortified German defenses in the rugged Italian landscape, Shea’s actions stood out as a beacon of courage and...

In today's episode of Beyond the Call, we narrate the remarkable story of Corporal Rodolfo Pérez Hernández, a Medal of Honor recipient whose bravery defined heroism during the fierce fighting on Hill 420 in the Korean War. Hernández's fearless charge against overwhelming enemy forces, despite severe wounds, exemplifies the highest standards of military valor and leadership.   Join us as we explore...

In this episode of Beyond the Call, we share the gripping story of Technical Sergeant Max Thompson, whose fearless stand at Haaren, Germany, became legendary during World War II. Alone and vastly outnumbered, Thompson’s daring actions under relentless enemy fire earned him the Medal of Honor, showcasing the powerful impact of courage and quick thinking in battle.   Join us as we explore not only T...