Episodes

  • The Fighting Field Music: Sgt. Darrell S. Cole

    The Fighting Field Music: Sgt. Darrell S. Cole
    Sep 16 2024
    Sergeant Darrell S. Cole initially served during World War II as a bugler. He didn’t like the job, and wanted to serve with his unit so badly that he twice took it upon himself to mount unmanned machine guns and join the battle. For this he became known as “The Fighting Field Music”. Due to his accomplishments and persistence, he was eventually assigned to a machine gun and became squad leader. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Sgt. Cole lead his section onto the shore and up the beach through heavy fire. As they advanced, they were pinned down twice by a total of 5 protectedJapanese machine guns. Under intense fire,Cole destroyed all five on his own with a machine gun, grenades, and his pistol. After destroying the fifth, he was killed by an enemy grenade. On April 17th, 1947, Darrell S. Cole was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage, determination, and sacrifice during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Thanks to Cole, his unit was able to storm the remaining fortifications and seize their objective during a critical period of the battle.
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    5 mins
  • The Battle of A Shau Part II: CSM Bennie G. Adkins

    The Battle of A Shau Part II: CSM Bennie G. Adkins
    Sep 2 2024
    The Battle of A Shau was a brutal battle that took place in the northern part of South Vietnam. More aptly described as a multi-day defense, less than 450 soldiers faced an onslaught of 2,000 NVA attackers. In this two-part episode, we tell the full story of the battle, and reveal why two of the camp’s defenders, Col. Bernard Francis Fisher and CSM Bennie G. Adkins, were both awarded the Medal of Honor
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    14 mins
  • The Battle of A Shau Part I: Col. Bernard Francis Fisher

    The Battle of A Shau Part I: Col. Bernard Francis Fisher
    Aug 19 2024
    The Battle of A Shau was a brutal battle that took place in the northern part of South Vietnam. More aptly described as a multi-day defense, less than 450 soldiers faced an onslaught of 2,000 NVA attackers. In this two-part episode, we tell the full story of the battle, and reveal why two of the camp’s defenders, Col. Bernard Francis Fisher and CSM Bennie G. Adkins, were both awarded the Medal of Honor.
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    21 mins
  • Feed Drop: History Daily - A B-24 Crash Survivor Begins a Fight for Survival

    Feed Drop: History Daily - A B-24 Crash Survivor Begins a Fight for Survival
    Aug 12 2024
    This week we wanted to share an episode of another podcast we’re excited about; History Daily from Noiser and Airship. Today we’re listening to their episode covering the story of 2d Lt and former Olympian Louis Zamperini, who became a POW after his bomber crashed at sea in WWII. Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.
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    19 mins
  • Surrounded in Ia Drang: LTC Ronald E. Ray

    Surrounded in Ia Drang: LTC Ronald E. Ray
    Aug 5 2024
    Lieutenant Ronald E. Ray was deployed as a platoon leader in the Ia Drang Valley, right on the Cambodian border. After one of his patrols was surrounded by the enemy, Ray took nearly all of his men to rescue them. They successfully broke through enemy lines to reach their allies, where they took fire from all sides. Ray directed their defense while single handedly taking out multiple enemies and machine gun nests, in addition to using his body to protect two of his allies from a grenade explosion. Ray and his team weathered the storm, and Ray only agreed to be evac’ed after all of his men had reached safety.
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    6 mins
  • A Sky Full of Bullets: SSG Salvatore Agustine Giunta

    A Sky Full of Bullets: SSG Salvatore Agustine Giunta
    Jul 22 2024
    Staff Sergeant Salvatore Agustine Giunta deployed to Afghanistan twice, first in 2005 and again in 2007. On the night of October 25th, 2007, then Specialist Giunta and his team were conducting a patrol in the Korengal Valley where they were stationed. After they left their elevated position and began falling back, they were ambushed by 10-15 enemy personnel. Thanks to Giunta’s bravery and leadership, his platoon was able to defeat the enemy and rescue a captured ally.
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    5 mins
  • Rerun: Daniel Inouye

    Rerun: Daniel Inouye
    Jul 8 2024
    To celebrate 100 episodes of the Medal of Honor podcast we are revisiting one of our favorite episodes featuring Daniel Inouye. The only US Senator so far to receive both the Medal of Honor and the President Medal of Freedom, Senator Daniel Inouye lost his right arm fighting in World War II. He went on to serve nine terms in the Senate and was the highest-ranking Senator at the time of his death in 2012. Read the AUSA's graphic novel about Sen. Inouye for a gripping retelling and illustration of his story.
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    4 mins
  • Anything for His Crew: 2d Lt. Robert Edward Femoyer

    Anything for His Crew: 2d Lt. Robert Edward Femoyer
    Jul 1 2024
    Second Lieutenant Robert Edward Femoyer served in World War II as a navigator on a B-17 bomber. On November 2nd, 1944, Femoyer embarked on only his fifth mission in Europe. He and hundreds of other B-17s were tasked with attacking an extremely well-defended oil refinery in Germany. As they approached the target, their aircraft was hit with three anti-aircraft shells. The impact sent shrapnel into Femoyer’s side and back, knocking him to the ground and severely wounding him. He was offered painkillers, but he refused, knowing that it would hamper his ability to navigate the aircraft. In order to ensure the safety of his crew, he suffered through 2.5 of serious pain in order to traverse the aircraft through flak and guide it back to base. Only upon touching down did he accept the injection of a sedative, but by then it was too late. Femoyer succumbed to his wounds as he was being moved off the plane. On May 9th, 1945, Femoyer was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Thanks to his self-sacrifice, the rest of the 10 man crew returned to their base in England safely.
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    4 mins