Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

QM2 Brett Jones joined the Navy in 1993 with the goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. Jones says he “wasn’t ready” the first time he went through SEAL training, and he did not complete the course. He came back and successfully completed the training on his second attempt.  Jones joined SEAL Team 8, the most active of all the SEAL teams, where he served abroad. Due to the covert nature of SEAL operations,...

2nd LT Loftis was a glider pilot during WW2, and participated in the D-Day invasion. During WW2, glider planes were used to carry ground troops, and sometimes a jeep, into enemy territory. Regular planes dragged these gliders via a rope, which was cut over enemy territory at the release point. The glider kept flying, to hopefully find a clear landing zone behind enemy lines. Since the gliders were...

Staff Sergeant Joe Longo served in the Army Air Force during WWII and the Korean War as a combat cameraman on bombing missions. It was his job to document the missions of the 13th Air Force, and his footage was used for both intelligence and newsreels. He later founded the International Camera Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1939, R.K. Montgomery attended the Royal Military Academy to become a Royal Engineer Officer in the British Army. He graduated right before World War II. His interest in explosives prompted him to pursue additional special training to become a demolitions expert in the Commandos. The Commandos (or British Commandos) were an elite group that gained fame for their rigorous training and distinctiv...

After World War Two, Germany was split up and occupied by the United States, France, Britain and the Soviet Union. In June of 1948, the U.S., France, and Britain announced they were creating a unified West German currency. Joseph Stalin opposed this unification, and cut off land routes from Berlin to West Germany.  In order to bypass the land routes, bombers transported supplies (primarily food) a...

MOMM3 Norman Jensen served on submarines as a combat cameraman during WW2. After attending diesel and submarine school, he served on the USS Proteus, which was stationed in Guam. Then, Jensen transferred to the USS Queenfish where he first started taking pictures. His photos grabbed the attention of some officers, and he was transferred to the USS Cod. There, he was a motor Machinist, but his unof...

Motor Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Norman Jensen served on submarines as an unofficial combat cameraman during WW2. – After attending diesel and submarine school, Norman Jensen served on the USS Proteus, which was stationed in Guam. Then, Jensen transferred to the USS Queenfish where he first started taking pictures. His photos grabbed the attention of some officers, and he was transferred to the US...

Today, we're sharing an episode from our other show, the Medal of Honor Podcast, as a bonus episode. Episodes of the Medal of Honor Podcast are short – just a few minutes each, and every week, Ken highlights a different service member who has distinguished themself through an act of bravery, earning our nations highest award for valor. The Medal of Honor Podcast is a great companion to Warriors in...

CMSGT Morrell rode along on bomber missions over Europe as a combat cameraman in order to document them. He was called upon several times to replace gunners after they had been killed, and was shot down three times during his service. – Doug Morrell joined the Army Air Corps two years before World War Two as a combat cameraman. He completed glider pilot training, and was sent to the University of...

CMSGT Morrell rode along on bomber missions over Europe during WWII as a combat cameraman. He was called upon several times to replace gunners after they had been killed, and was shot down three times during his service. – Doug Morrell joined the Army Air Corps two years before World War Two as a combat cameraman. He completed glider pilot training, and was sent to the University of Southern Calif...

After earning his masters in psychiatric social work and completing basic training, Shad Meshad worked at Fort Leavenworth Military Prison as a mental health officer. Most of the prisoners were Vietnam veterans, and he provided them with treatment and a means to reintegrate into society. After hearing the stories of veterans at Fort Leavenworth, Meshad decided he had to serve himself. He volunteer...

Warning, this episode mentions violence, racism, sex, and self-harm. Listener discretion is advised. After earning his masters in psychiatric social work and completing basic training, Shad Meshad worked at Fort Leavenworth Military Prison as a mental health officer. Most of the prisoners were Vietnam veterans, and he provided them with treatment and a means to reintegrate into society. Meshad hea...

In this episode, Maj James Dunning describes the infamous Dieppe Raid and becoming an instructor at Achnacarry Castle. At 20 years old, James Dunning volunteered for the new special force that would become the Commandos (or British Commandos). The Commandos quickly became famous for their rigorous training, elite status, and their green berets.  Dunning fought with the Commandos during World War T...

Hi, I’m Ken Harbaugh, host of Warriors In Their Own Words. I just wanted to let you know that the team and I are taking some time off during the holidays. We’ll return to our normal release schedule on January 12th.  In the meantime, we’ll be sharing an episode of our other show, the Medal of Honor podcast, here on this feed. Think of it as our holiday gift to you as thanks for your support. Happy...

At 20 years old, James Dunning volunteered for the new special force that would become the Commandos (or British Commandos). The Commandos quickly became famous for their rigorous training, elite status, and their green berets.  Dunning fought with the Commandos during World War Two, most notably during the Dieppe Raid. Known as Operation Jubilee, the Dieppe Raid was an amphibious landing on the s...

COL Douglas C. Dillard describes fighting in WWII as an Army parachute regiment sergeant during the Battle of the Bulge. He also discusses the cold, harsh environment they faced, and how he almost lost both of his legs because of it.  During the interview, Dillard describes an encounter he had with a captured German soldier: “We caught a German there in that field. And we were all really infuriate...

On this day (December 8th) in 1941, Japanese forces attacked Wake Island. After the Americans surrendered, Sgt. Pearsall and his fellow Marines were taken as prisoners of war, and spent 3 ½ years at a prison camp in China during WWII.  Sergeant John Edward ‘Swede’ Pearsall served in the Marines as a part of the 1st Defense Battalion, D Battery on Wake Island in 1941.  Wake Island is located 2,458...

In this special episode, Captain Torres explains how landfill-like burn pits in Iraq gave him a chronic lung injury and a toxic brain injury.  Captain Le Roy Torres served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 24 years, and spent a year on duty in Balad, Iraq. While there, Torres lived and worked in close proximity to a burn pit. These burn pits act as landfills, where everything from trash, to jet fuel, t...

MGen Roger Rowley describes his experiences fighting as a ground forces officer in the days following the invasion of Normandy, and how he missed the D-Day invasion.  MGen Rowley served in World War Two as ground forces officer in the Canadian Army. For months he and his unit prepared for the invasion of Normandy, but when the fateful day came, no orders arrived, so they weren’t sent to France. In...

It Was Said, the 2021 Webby Award winner for Best Podcast Series, returns with a new season to look back on some of the most powerful, impactful, and timeless speeches in history. Written and narrated by Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author-historian Jon Meacham, this documentary podcast series takes you through another season of ten generation-defining speeches. Meacham, along with top hi...

Jack Hessman was a Navy Corpsman who served in the Korean War. He was assigned to the Marine Corps, and fought in the famous battle of the Chosin Reservoir. During the battle, he faced freezing cold conditions, and at one point had to play dead in order to avoid being killed by Chinese soldiers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus Veterans Day episode, we hear from Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia. Staff Sergeant Bellavia served in the Army and deployed to Iraq in 2004. During the Second Battle of Fallujah, Bellavia cleared a house filled with 5 insurgents in order to save his squad. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at a White House ceremony in 2019.  In Bellavia’s new book, Remember th...

After a grenade injured both his legs and sent him home from Vietnam, Army Specialist Robert Patrick "Rocky" Bleier made a full recovery and went on to win four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh steelers. In college, Bleier played for Notre Dame and was a part of the ‘66 National Championship team. He was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 16th round draft pick, but was drafted by the US Army after the 10th g...

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 be...

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 dea...