Honoring our Military: A Memorial Day Podcast Playlist
Memorial Day is when we honor the fallen; the brave men and women who sacrificed themselves for a much greater cause. Never forget them and their families.
This Memorial Day weekend, take a moment to remember. Honor the ultimate sacrifice. Celebrate the extraordinary service, commitment and courage.
Here at Evergreen Podcasts, we thank you.
We have put together a few podcasts dedicated to those who have served our country.
1st Air Cavalry Helicopter Pilot
The 1st Air Cavalry Division was the most lethal assault force assembled in Vietnam.
The pilots were the first to fully harness the power of helicopters and their soldier's combat record was second to none. Steven E Warren served a year in the infantry in Vietnam, but then returned home to train to fly helicopters. Soon he returned to the conflict, as a Huey helicopter pilot in the 1st Air Cavalry. We spoke with him about his combat experiences, helping to perfect this new kind of warfare.
Hitting the Beach On D-Day
On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched the largest amphibious military assault in history known as D-Day.
More than 150,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region.
Some of the first men to hit the beach on D-Day were the U.S. Navy Combat Demolition Unit. Jerry Markham and John Talton were members of this elite group. In this episode, these courageous veterans tell their dramatic stories, In Their Own Words.
Harold Gonsalves
Harold Gonsalves sacrificed his own life for the sake of his fellow Marines and their mission at the Battle of Okinawa.
He was the only Latino Marine to earn the Medal of Honor during World War II.
Gonsalves was part of the forward observation team directing artillery fire toward a Japanese mountaintop stronghold.
His commanding officer asked for spotters to move closer to the front lines to provide more accurate directions to the artillery. Gonsalves volunteered.
But just as they got to the front line, a grenade landed right beside them.
Gonsalves didn’t hesitate. He dove on top of the grenade and was killed, absorbing the blast to save the lives of his fellow Marines. The surviving Marines completed their mission that day.
Milton Olive
PFC Olive earned the Medal of Honor for his selfless act of bravery in Vietnam. At only 18 years old, he sacrificed his own life to save four of his fellow soldiers.
He was the first Black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor during Vietnam.
PFC Olive also earned a mention in the recent Spike Lee film, Da 5 Bloods - the character Otis says, "I would be the first cat in line if there was a film about a real hero, you know, one of our blood. Somebody like Milton Olive."
Jake Wood: A New Mission Closer to Home
Jake is currently the CEO and co-founder of Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization that retrains military veterans to deploy as emergency responders. He is also a Marine Corps combat veteran. He enlisted in the Corps in 2005 and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion - 7th Marine Regiment, which suffered some of the highest casualties of any unit during their deployments.
Jake Wood:
“One of the most underrated characteristics of a good leader is vulnerability, being willing and able to acknowledge when you're not the best at something, you're not the right person for a job that you don't know the answer or that you have a weakness... And I'm willing to surround myself with people who are better than me and I'm also not afraid to tell people when I'm struggling with something.”
Gina Ortiz Jones: Overcoming Barriers to Serve Her Country
Gina Ortiz Jones, veteran and Congressional candidate in Texas’s 23rd district, talks about the tough decision her mother made to immigrate to the U.S. from the Philippines, the challenges of being an LGBT service member under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and her difficult race to represent her district.
Gina Ortiz Jones:
“I had to sign a piece of paper that said I would not engage in homosexual behavior. And knew that obviously I could lose my scholarship if it was ever found out that I was gay. But still the opportunity to serve was something that I felt called to do and compelled to do and honored to do.”
