The High Cost of War
Navy Veteran Bruno Franconi gives us a front row seat to not only some of the most impactful occurrences of the Pacific Theater, but the lasting effects those experiences had on the individuals who lived through them.
Patriotism in Spite of Prejudice
After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Virgil Nishimura - a talented and excelling American pilot - had his license revoked and was made a private in the Army, due to his Japanese heritage. In this video, Virgil talks about the struggles he and other Japanese-Americans had to overcome, and the devotion to his country that kept him serving with honor and dignity throughout the Second World War.
D-Day 80 Years Later
Louis Graziano recalls German air raids, the Battle of the Bulge, and D-Day on it’s 80th anniversary.
Marine Recalls Okinawa
Charles Kelley had always wanted to join the Marines. But there was no way he could know the horrors he would experience in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War, enduring such battles as Guam and Okinawa - the bloodiest battle in the Pacific.
Bomber Pilot Tells His Story
Ralph Waldrop recalls his experience flying a B-26 and a C-47 over war-torn Europe. From the Invasion of Southern France to the Battle of the Bulge, and many bombing runs in between, Ralph flew over 100 missions in the war against Germany.make all the difference.
Surviving a Kamikaze Attack
World War II Navy Veteran Robert Denney recalls the horrifying Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Japanese fighter plane that dove directly into his ship.
D-Day Veteran Recalls Omaha Beach
Jake Larson landed on Omaha Beach, he found himself under a hailstorm of German firepower, and eventually pinned down by enemy machine guns. This is the story of a man who went from farm boy to soldier, to honored by thousands across the world.
The German Perspective of WW2
Growing up in Germany, Wolfram Forster watched as Adolf Hitler rose to power and launched his country into the Second World War. Before long Wolfram would be called upon to serve, eventually engaging in combat against the American and British Armed Forces.
The Thrill Of Being a WW2 Fighter Pilot
All Jack Hallett ever wanted to do was fly. And when the Second World War broke out, he got his chance. Listen as Jack shares stories of bombing, strafing, D-Day, seeing friends shot down, and his many missions over German-occupied Europe.
WW2 Vet Battles Both Enemies
Navy Veteran Charles Samas saw combat on both sides of the globe. In the campaign to free Africa and Southern Europe from Nazi occupation, Charles endured German submarine and air attacks - ultimately culminating in the sinking of his ship. But he wasn’t finished. After returning home for a short time, Charles was then sent to the Pacific theater where he encountered the Japanese Armed Forces through brutal island invasions and kamikaze attacks.
106yr old WW2 Veteran
Born in 1916, Henry Naruszewicz was already 26 years old, married, and a father when he was called into service to fight in World War II. He served with the 256th Armored Field Artillery in an effort to stop Hitler’s Nazi Germany from achieving world domination.
WW2 Vet Survives USS Arizona, Being Shot Down, and Shark Attack
Louis Conter is one of only two living survivors of the USS Arizona, sunken during the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor. Lou would go on to fly two hundred combat missions in the South Pacific.
I Survived the Battle of the Bulge
Bill Pilati of the U.S. Army recalls one of the worst battles of the Second World War - the brutal, frigid, bloody Battle of the Bulge.
Young Sailor Sees the Worst of War
Don Sarver of the United States Navy recalls the darkest day of his wartime service — finding the men who did not survive the sinking of the USS Indianapolis.
D-Day 78 Years Later
After 78 years, WW2 Veteran Onofrio “NoNo” Zicari can not forget the struggles and losses of the invasion of Normandy, one of the most pivotal battles of the Second World War.
Surviving D-Day
Canadian WW2 Veteran Jim Parks recalls the invasion of Juno Beach on D-Day, facing Nazi SS in combat, and the long struggle to liberate Holland from Hitler’s grasp.
Attempts to Save Sailors from Pearl Harbor Wreckage
Joseph Richard recalls the attack on Peal Harbor, his attempts to rescue trapped sailors in the aftermath, and the heartbreaking realization that he may not be able to save them all.
Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
In a short two months overseas, Gus Miller of the 97th Infantry experienced close combat with German soldiers, tanks, and artillery, as well as the horrors of the Flossenburg Concentration Camp and the brainwashing Nazi Germany inflicted on its own people.
USS Indianapolis Survivor Recalls Harrowing Experience
WW2 Veteran Edgar Harrell of the United States Marine Corps was aboard the ill-fated USS Indianapolis when it was sunk, in the middle of the Pacific ocean, by a Japanese submarine. Harrell and the rest of the ship’s crew spent four days afloat in the open sea, fending off shark attacks and starvation, fighting to maintain the will to live.
WW2 British Bomber Pilot
Richard Boyd of the Royal Air Force recalls the relentless bombing of his hometown of London, and piloting his Lancaster bomber crew through the war-torn skies over Germany.
Alone in the Jungles of Guam
WW2 Veteran Andrew Puopolo recalls his exploits with the Marine Corps Boxing Team, the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and a terrifying night alone in the Japanese-infested jungles of Guam.
Surrounded By the Enemy
WW2 Veteran George Mills recalls the liberation of Paris, the battles of the Hurtgen Forest and the Ardennes, and a tense stand-off surrounded by insurmountable German forces.
WW2 Vet Endures Four Invasions
Though the Army Infantry was the one branch of service where Guy Prestia didn’t want to end up, that’s exactly where the draft placed him. The 45th Infantry took him through Italy, France, and Germany, forcing him to encounter everything he had feared, and so much more.
Life and Death in War-Torn France
Growing up in war-torn France, Anna Matysik experienced first hand the bombing of her city, her country’s devastating defeat, and four years of German occupation. But one fateful encounter in the middle of the Second World War would change her life forever.
The Horrors of D-Day
WW2 Veteran Sherwin Callander’s grisly experience in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor lead him to transfer to amphibious training. He had no idea that this decision would find him heading straight into the largest invasion of the Second World War.
WW2 Veteran’s Heartbreaking Story
Navy Corpsman Harry “Robin” Ledecker recalls Pearl Harbor, his time on Guadalcanal, and a heartbreaking story that showcases the realities of war.
Triple Ace Fighter Pilot
“Bud” Anderson of the U.S. Army Air Corps shares his WW2 experience and how he became a fighter pilot “Ace” three times over.
“We Don’t Train Black Paratroopers”
Charles Henry was determined to serve his country by joining the U.S. Army Airborne. But he was dealt a crushing blow when segregation and inequality got in the way.
Shot Down and Captured
Robert Vance tells the story of when his B-24 bomber was shot down, leaving only him and one other crew member alive, soon to be prisoners of war.
Am I Going To Survive?
WW2 Navy Veteran Matthias Gutman was part of six island invasions in the Pacific, and battled ferocious Japanese forces coming from the land, the sea, and the skies.
Walking Across a Minefield
Samuel Lombardo grew up in Italy under Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship, but dreamed of immigrating to the United States. Once an American citizen, Sam was determined to fight for his newfound country and freedom.
Holocaust Survivor’s Powerful Story
David Wisnia shares his harrowing experience from the invasion of Poland and the Warsaw Ghetto, to Auschwitz and his escape attempt from Dachau.
Our Worst Mission
B-17 gunner Leon Waldman recounts several of his fifty bombing missions over German-patrolled skies, including one so dangerous that his survival left him with the feeling of being reborn.
Surviving Okinawa
WW2 Marine Veteran Ted Estridge recalls being wounded during the Battle of Okinawa, and the unlikely events that lead him back to the very hill where he was wounded, years after the war’s end.
Liberation Of Dachau
WW2 Veteran Don Greenbaum talks of the realities of combat and the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp.
Abandoning Ship In The Battle Of Midway
WW2 Veteran Roger Spooner of the United States Navy recalls the Battle of Midway, abandoning a sinking ship, and spending a night stranded at sea.
Memories Of A Tuskegee Pilot
Tuskegee Airmen fighter pilot Harold Brown talks about air-to-air combat, surviving capture and POW camps, and the obstacles that were overcome on the Red Tail’s road to becoming the first African-American squadron.
Japanese-American Soldier Recalls WW2
Noboru Seki of the 442nd Infantry Regiment recalls the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese-American internment camps, and proudly serving his country in combat in spite of segregation and racial inequality.
Jewish Soldier Goes To Battle In Nazi Germany
American Jewish soldier Robert “Bud” Sabetay recalls his many experiences in the Battle of the Bulge, and what it was like to face antisemitism in the heart of Nazi Germany.
Shot Down Over Germany
WW2 Bomber Navigator Richard Kinder flew several missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress, was shot down over Germany, captured, and made a prisoner of war - all while wondering if the woman he loved was still waiting for him to come home.
Four Years in a Japanese Prison Camp
Following Japan’s rapid conquest across the Pacific, Glenn Frazier of the U.S. Army was captured by the enemy. Over the next four years he would endure harsh cruelty through starvation, beatings, and the infamous Bataan Death March, igniting within him both a burning hatred and an unbreakable will to survive.
German Soldier Remembers WW2
Growing up in Germany in the 1930’s, Gert Schmitz was drafted into the Hitler Youth, witnessed the start of World War II, and joined the Luftwaffe by the time he was 17 years old. But his dreams of flight would be crushed when he was sent to the Western Front to fight the advancing Allied Forces with a disoriented and dwindling German Army.
D-Day “Things You Don’t Forget”
WW2 Veteran Harold McMurran recalls what it was like to be part of the historical Allied invasion on the beaches of Normandy on June 6th, 1944.
What We Did Was Real
WW2 Veteran Cliff Brooks of the 1st Marine Division shares his memories of the invasions of Peleliu and Okinawa, and the lasting effects combat can have on a person.
Losing Friends In Combat
Arlin White, machine gunner for the U.S. Army 97th Infantry Division, recalls the Allied advance into Germany, taking enemy prisoners, and what it means to lose friends in combat.
Bomber Shot Full of Holes Over Japan
B-29 Superfortress Radio Operator Raymond Carey shares his experiences from his many bombing missions in the Pacific theater of World War II.
D-Day and Beyond with the 101st Airborne
From jumping behind enemy lines on D-Day, to Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, paratrooper Daniel McBride Jr. tells of his experiences with the legendary 101st Airborne.
Growing Up In Nazi-Occupied Belgium
Nelly “Michette” Thirifays-Hiett was five years old when her homeland of Belgium was invaded by the German Army. Here you’ll hear her perspective on living under enemy occupation and what freedom means to her.
I’ve Seen Stuff That a Kid Shouldn’t See
WW2 Navy Veteran Don Kunkel takes us from the shores of Iwo Jima and the tragedies of Marpi Point to his life-altering experiences in the Philippine Islands.
WW2 Medal Of Honor Recipient
WW2 Marine Hershel “Woody” Williams - the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the Pacific Theater - describes the series of events that lead to him being awarded the medal.
Medic Finds His Friend Badly Wounded
WW2 Infantry Medic Melvin Young tells of German mines and rockets, treating wounded men, and making life-or-death decisions on the battlefield.
Daring Escape From A Sinking Ship
WW2 Veteran Adone Calderone tells about his daring escape from the sinking USS West Virginia and his thoughts on how the disaster at Pearl Harbor could have been avoided.
Leading a Platoon In Africa and Across Europe
Follow WW2 Veteran Ancil Fisher as he leads a platoon from the conflict in Africa, to D-Day, across Europe, and into the heart of Nazi Germany.
WAC's Journey To Find Her Husband In The Middle Of WW2
Follow Ilene Hall’s incredible journey across Europe as she searches for her husband in the middle of a world war.
Pearl Harbor & Kamikaze Attack Survivor
Follow Milton Mapou's story, from Pearl Harbor to the Pacific Theater, where he survived two separate kamikaze attacks and the sinking of the U.S.S. Pringle.
From D-Day To Dachau
Follow Harry Shaw Jr.'s journey from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge, to the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.