PO2 Owen Francis Patrick Hammerberg served in the Navy as a diver near the end of World War II. When two of his fellow divers were trapped underwater as they tried to clear up a shipwreck, Hammersberg volunteered to rescue them. Despite the possibility of cave-ins, debris that could rip open a diver’s air supply, and zero visibility, he successfully found and rescued the first diver, George Fuller. When he finally found the other diver, Earl Brown, the wreckage caved in. A heavy piece of steel f...
Dec 23, 2024•5 min
During his second tour in Vietnam, Major General Patrick Henry Bradyserved as a helicopter pilot in the 57th Medical Detachment, tasked with evacuating wounded no matter what the conditions. The 57th’s call sign, “Dustoff” became one of the most famous call signs in the war. On January 6th, 1968, Brady was awakened to rescue two wounded Vietnamese soldiers stranded in the densely fogged mountains. This cloud cover was a double edged sword, providing cover from enemy fire, but making it almost im...
Dec 09, 2024•7 min
In April of 1972, Lieutenant Thomas Norris was tasked to lead a mission in Vietnam to rescue Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Gene Hambleton. Hambleton had been shot down in enemy territory, and was surrounded by 30,000 enemy NVA soldiers. Rescuing Hambleton was a top priority for the U.S.. As the navigator of a light bomber (with the call sign Bat 21 Bravo), he was an expert in surface-to-air missile countermeasures and was privy to top secret strategic air command operations, so if he was captured and...
Nov 25, 2024•8 min
Lieutenant Michael Thornton served in Vietnam as a Navy SEAL. On October 31st, 1972, then Petty Officer Thornton was assigned to a night-time SEAL patrol. Thornton and three South Vietnamese SEALs were led by Lieutenant Tom Norris, and tasked with gathering intel on North Vietnam’s southern advance. After taking down two enemies, Thornton was spotted, and 50 NVA soldiers began chasing him. In a five-hour firefight, Thornton retreated back to the shore while fending off the enemy. After learning ...
Nov 11, 2024•8 min
Lieutenant Junior Grade Albert Leroy David served in World War II as an assistant engineering and electrical officer on the USS Pillsbury. On June 4th, 1944, the Pillsbury’s hunter-killer group located a German U-boat 150 miles off the coast of West Africa. They attacked the submarine with depth charges, seriously damaging the ship and forcing the enemy to surface. As they abandoned ship, the German crew rigged demolition charges and cut holes in the hull, hoping to sink the U-boat to prevent th...
Oct 28, 2024•5 min
SSG Ronald J. Shurer served in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) as a Medical Sergeant. On April 6th, 2008, his unit embarked on Operation Commando Wrath, a mission to capture or kill high-value targets in Shok Valley. The operation would later be named The Battle of Shok Valley. For six hours, Shurer and his unit came under RPG, machine gun, sniper, and small arms fire on the mountain. During that time, Shurer put himself in harm's way numerous times to provide aid to his wounded comr...
Oct 14, 2024•7 min
On June 3rd, 1944, Private Herbert Christian and Private Elden Johnson were on a patrol looking for enemy Germans. At 1am, they were ambushed, and came under suffocating fire from nearly all sides. Seeing no other options, Christian and Johnson stood up amidst the fire and advanced, drawing the enemy’s attention away from their allies and towards themselves. Despite the odds, and Christian even having his leg shot off, they were both able to travel 20 yards and kill multiple enemies before final...
Sep 30, 2024•7 min
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 heav...
Sep 16, 2024•6 min
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 02, 2024•15 min
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 19, 2024•22 min
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 12, 2024•19 min
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 explosio...
Aug 05, 2024•7 min
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. Learn more about your ad ch...
Jul 22, 2024•5 min
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...
Jul 08, 2024•4 min
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 painki...
Jul 01, 2024•5 min
Sgt York was awarded the Medal of Honor for single handedly killing two dozen enemies and capturing over 130 during World War I, but is that what really happened? In this episode we talk about what really happened that day in France, and how decades of lies and cover-ups supported a false narrative about York and his actions that day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 24, 2024•18 min
To celebrate 100 episodes of the Medal of Honor podcast we are revisiting the story of the first recipient, Jacob Parrott. Jacob Parrott received the first Medal of Honor ever awarded for his participation in the Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 17, 2024•5 min
Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro served in the Army in Vietnam. On December 1st, 1966, two American squads were ambushed by an overwhelming North Vietnamese force. Rushing to their aid, Kaneshiro ordered his men to take cover while he crawled up to a fortified enemy trench. While laying on his stomach, he threw a grenade into the trench, killing the enemy soldier manning a machine gun. Kaneshiro jumped into the trench and proceeded to kill two groups of enemies with grenades, and one group wit...
Jun 10, 2024•6 min•Season 14Ep. 3
Emil J. Kapaun served as a military Chaplain in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. As a Chaplain, it was his job to move from unit to unit, leading prayer and passing words of encouragement. During battle, Chaplains provided emergency care to the wounded, and gave last rites to dying soldiers. Since they aren’t issued as weapons and aren’t allowed to engage in combat, being a Chaplain was quite a dangerous job. On November 1st, 1950, Chaplain Kapaun and his unit were attacked ...
Jun 03, 2024•10 min
Today we are sharing an interview from our other show, Warriors In Their Own Words, which features Medal of Honor Recipient Earl Plumlee. Plumlee's story is almost unbelievable, and it's even more incredible hearing him tell it. We'll be back with another new episode of the Medal of Honor Podcast next week, but in the meantime, enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 27, 2024•55 min
Next week we'll be sharing an interview with MOH recipient Earl Plumlee, which was recorded for our other show, Warriors In Their Own Words. In preparation, today we're re-airing our Medal of Honor episode about Plumlee. His story is one of the most incredible we've heard, so it's really worth taking a listen. MSG Plumlee’s Medal of Honor story is straight out of a movie. When enemies with suicide vests attacked his base in Afghanistan, Plumlee was out gunned and outmanned. He fought multiple in...
May 20, 2024•8 min
Private Dale Merlin Hansen served in the Marine Corps during World War II. On May 7th, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, Hansen took matters into his own hands and crawled into an exposed, advanced position. He fired his rocket launcher, destroying an important Japanese pillbox before his weapon was broken by enemy fire. Finding a nearby rifle, he continued his advance, killing four enemies before it jammed. He then fought two more off with the butt of his weapon and took cover. From there, he...
May 13, 2024•4 min•Season 14Ep. 1
Today we want to introduce you to a new podcast from Evergreen Podcasts called History Shorts. Award-winning historian, author, and history professor Peter Zablocki shares his research into the little-known and hidden-in-plain-sight historical curiosities you probably never heard of. All in the little time you probably do not have. Our guest today is Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Jack H. Jacobs. His selfless acts under fire in Vietnam saved the lives of fellow soldiers and earned him the nati...
May 10, 2024•17 min
On January 31st, 1968, Specialist 5 Dwight W. Birdwell and his troop were ordered to respond to an NVA attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base. When the arrived on scene, they were ambushed by over 1,000 soldiers from either side of the road. Birdwell’s troop immediately took heavy casualties, including Birdwell’s tank commander. Under heavy fire, Birdwell got him out of the tank, onto the ground, and to a safe position before commandeering the tank. Standing in the hatch half exposed, Birdwell used the...
May 06, 2024•7 min•Season 13Ep. 3
Airman First Class Jone Lee Levitow served in Vietnam as a loadmaster. On February 24th, 1969, Levitow’s AC-47, a fixed wing gunship, was hit by an enemy mortar round. The explosion tore a hole in the plane, slashed the fuselage, temporarily blinded the pilots, and threw everyone in the cargo hold to the ground, causing numerous injuries. It also knocked a 3 foot long, 27 pound explosive metal flare out of a crew member's hands, with the safety pin still around his finger. Armed and ready to exp...
Apr 29, 2024•7 min•Season 13Ep. 3
Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne served in Iraq as an Army Ranger. On October 22nd, 2015, Payne’s special operations unit was paired with Kurdish allies in order to complete a hostage rescue mission from an ISIS compound. Payne continuously wethered enemy fire, brownout conditions, and smoke from a burning building on the brink of collapse in order to help rescue 75 Iraqi hostages. Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism and selfless service on that day. Learn...
Apr 22, 2024•7 min•Season 13Ep. 2
Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith was among the first group of Americans to invade Iraq in 2003, serving as a combat engineer. On April 4th, 2003, American forces were attempting to seize Saddam Hussein International Airport. SFC Smith was leading two platoons of about three dozen men with the goal of setting up a holding area for prisoners of war, but they were attacked by over 100 members of the Iraqi Republican Guard. Smith quickly organized their defense, but the overwhelming enemy force b...
Apr 15, 2024•5 min•Season 13Ep. 1
Staff Sergeant Herbert H. Burr served in World War II as a tank gunner. His tank was approaching a town in Germany when they were hit by a bazooka, killing two crewmembers and seriously injuring the platoon sergeant. The surviving crew was forced to evacuate the vehicle, but Burr, delayed by his exit hatch that couldn’t open, feared being targeted upon leaving the vehicle. So, without any other crew, he commandeered the tank and drove it deeper into the town. He made a left turn where he was fac...
Apr 08, 2024•5 min•Season 12Ep. 4
Captain Steven Logan Bennett was flying an OV-10 Bronco near Quang Tri, Vietnam in 1972 when he received an urgent call for help. A friendly South Vietnamese ground unit had overextended, and were about to be engaged by nearly 300 enemies. Bennett called for air support, but none was available. He then called for artillery, but it turned out that it would risk hitting enemy troops. Seeing no other way to help, Bennett engaged the ground forces himself, disregarding the fact that his OV-10 was pa...
Apr 01, 2024•6 min•Season 12Ep. 3
Today, in honor of Vietnam War Veteran’s Day, we are re-airing our episode featuring SFC Webster Anderson. Sergeant First Class Webster Anderson served in the Army in Vietnam. He lost two legs and an arm defending his position near Tam Ky, but his resilience and bravery encouraged his men, led to victory, and earned him the Medal of Honor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 29, 2024•4 min
