The Silver King's War

Send a text This episode is the epilogue for the first arc of "Dearest Ones," the letters that Stanley wrote to his family throughout his war.  The Silver King's War creator, Michael G. Sievers, discusses the writing and the first three training assignments in his father's Second World War start as a U. S. Army Air Corps Cadet.  Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please re...

Send a text This episode (first published to honor our hero, The Silver King, for Veteran's Day 2021) is Part Five of Stanley's Letters, "Dearest Ones," from pilot school in Lakeland, Florida.  His final weeks have been a furious blend of fear and dedication.  His drive to be an Air Corps pilot comes down to a final ten-hour check ride. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com P...

Send a text This episode (published on the 77th anniversary of The Silver King's first bombing mission: ordnance depot, Homburg, Germany) is Part Four of Stanley's Letters, "Dearest Ones," from pilot school in Lakeland, Florida.  He's counting the days to complete his training and take the ten-hour check ride to determine his readiness to be an Air Corps pilot.   The Silve...

Send a text This episode is Part Three of Stanley's Letters, "Dearest Ones," from pilot school in Lakeland, Florida. Our hero ("The fellows call me The Silver King"), is one of five students assigned to Captain Hayes.  The training is intense and Stanley loves every minute in the air.  The ten-hour check ride looms as he has nine hours and eleven minutes of flying time. Hi...

Send a text This episode is Part Two of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones,"  from pilot school in Lakeland, Florida. The U. S. Army Air Corps demand for pilots required private facilities to train their hopeful fliers.  The Lodwick School of Aeronautics is a beautiful campus that opened in 1939.  Our hero, working hard, has found a timely slice of personal paradise. Contact us: thesi...

Send a text This episode is Part One of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from pilot school in Lakeland, Florida.  He arrived there in early April to begin an intense month of training to fly for the nation's Army Air Corps.  This facility, The Lodwick School of Aeronautics, is a private company under contract to train air cadets.  Every cadet's aim: to be an Air Corps pi...

Send a text This episode (published on the 31st anniversary of The Silver King's 1990 funeral) is Part Four and conclusion of Stanley's  letters, "Dearest Ones," from Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama.  He's completing pre-flight training and is ready to test his talent and training in pilot school.  His next posting is the Lodwick School of Aeronautics in Lakeland, Flo...

Send a text This episode is Part Three of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from pre-flight training at Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama.  His proximity to Birmingham allows family visits and Ida Mae's home cooking.  The hard work of training keeps The Silver King busy, tired and optimistic. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The Silver King's War o...

Send a text This episode is Part Two of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from the Army Air Corps' Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama. The Silver King will spend two months, shared over four episodes, in pre-flight training before his ride to pilot school in Lakeland, Florida. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The Silver King's War on Apple Podcasts...

Send a text This episode is Part One of The Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama.  Stanley's a car ride from his family in Birmingham and hopeful about visits home.  Now he begins the rigorous work over nine weeks, shared over four episodes, of pre-flight training for pilot school.  His excitement is palpable as aviator dreams take sh...

Send a text This episode is Part Three of Stanley's Nashville letters from his war writing, "Dearest Ones," as he begins the stretch run at the Army Air Corps classification center HQ.  He's grateful for letters and packages from home.  And, he has wonderful news to share with the Silverfields of Birmingham. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The Silver King&...

Send a text This episode is Part Two of Nashville Letters from The Silver King's war writing, "Dearest Ones."    Our hero, Stanley Silverfield, is settling into the tension-filled, air cadet testing days that determine his next posting.  He joined the United States Army Air Corps to serve his nation as a pilot. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The Silver King&ap...

Send a text This episode is Part One in Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from Nashville.  Our hero, The Silver King, rode a troop train from Birmingham, Alabama to Thompson Lake, Tennessee, on January 10, 1943. Now he begins the testing process at the U. S. Army Air Corps classification headquarters to determine his flying fate.  Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please revi...

Send a text The Silver King's War continues with the introduction of "Dearest Ones."  These are the seasons of Stanley Silverfield's extensive, expansive war letters. The Silver King wrote letters to his family throughout World War II.  "Dearest Ones" begins with his writing from Nashville, Tennessee, in January 1943.  It concludes and concludes with his return to the...

Send a text This episode is The Silver King's War four-play epilogue and conclusion of this series.  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of this series about his father's Second World War as a B-26 bombardier, discusses his decade of work.  Michael also introduces the subsequent seasons of "Dearest Ones,"  that will follow his father, Stanley Silverfield, throu...

Send a text This bonus episode, The Who & Why of Della Martin,  is a discussion by Michael G. Sievers, the creator of The Silver King's War podcast series, of the final play's prominent patient, Della Martin.  Michael describes his search to recognize who Della was and the collaboration with Kelly Sievers, the renowned writer and poet, to delve into the why of their exploration as th...

Send a text This is episode ten, The Who Is Della epilogue.  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of The Silver King's War, discusses a decade of work on his father's Second World War  and an imagined post-war life. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The Silver King's War on Apple Podcasts Read podcast episodes with the Apple Transcriptions Share o...

Send a text This episode is Scene Eight of Who Is Della.  It's spring 1975.  Stanley Silverfield and James Sheppard are discussing the creation of a new foundation to honor Della Martin, who died in 1974.  Today, The Della Martin Foundation, based in Los Angeles, California, underwrites brain science research programs at the University of California-Irvine, USC, UCLA and Cal Tech, that focus...

Send a text This episode is Scene Seven of Who Is Della.  It's November 1959.  Della Martin, Viola Powell and Stanley Silverfield have traveled with Frank Ober, Jr., and James Sheppard from New York City to Washington.  They will meet with members of the California federal delegation and Library of Congress representatives to donate Glenn L. Martin's papers. Contact us: thesilverkingswar...

Send a text This episode is Scene Six of Who Is Della.  It's fall 1959.  Della Martin, Viola Powell and Stanley Silverfield, have just completed a round-trip Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary.  After settling into their suites, they're sitting in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel lobby, talking about the city.  They will celebrate the evening with Stanley's aunt and uncle, Sylvia and Mike...

Send a text This episode is Scene Five of Who Is Della.  It's 1957.  Della Martin and her companion, Viola Powell, are living in a private home in San Gabriel, California.  Della, Viola, Stanley and the Sheppard Family (James with his children: Eileen, Pam and Tom), are sharing current events in the living room.   Kelly Sievers is the voice of Della Martin. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail...

Send a text This episode is Scene Four of Who Is Della. It's May 1956.  The combined Della Martin team (Stanley, Frank Ober, Jr., Sheppard Mullin attorneys and medical consultants) are meeting with the executives of Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.  Della Martin, after her release from Patton State Hospital, will begin a residential transition treatment program in a special unit at H...

Send a text This episode is Scene Three of Who Is Della.  Stanley and Frank Ober, Jr., are in Los Angeles to meet with James Sheppard and his team as they plan a future for Glenn Martin's sister, Della. The meeting is in a large conference room in the downtown office of Sheppard Mullin, a prominent legal firm. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The Silver King's War on...

Send a text This episode is Scene Two of Who Is Della.  It's January 1956.  Stanley and Frank Ober, Jr., are in Chicago for the winter meeting of the American Bar Association. They're staying at the famous Conrad Hilton Hotel.  They will join James Sheppard, a California attorney, for drinks in the hotel's Normandie Lounge. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The S...

Send a text This episode is Scene One of Who Is Della.  It's late December 1955,  after the death of Glenn L. Martin, the iconic Middle River, B-26 manufacturer. Our hero, Stanley Silverfield, is meeting with Frank Ober, Jr., who is Glenn Martin's attorney, in the downtown Baltimore office of Ober, Williams and Grimes.   Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The Silver Ki...