Warriors in their Own Words

Warriors in their Own Words

Remarkable stories of war told by the men who fought for a proud nation. Their words. Their voices. Our first episodes tell riveting stories from World War II, then we move on to the Vietnam War and other dramatic conflicts.

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Most Recent Episode

New episodes every Thursday

The Wild Weasels: Capt. Tom “Bear” Wilson The Wild Weasels: Capt. Tom “Bear” Wilson

Captain Tom “Bear” Wilson served in Vietnam as an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO). He sat in the back seat of aircraft, and was responsible for monitoring radar in order to warn his pilot of threats, like surface-to air-missiles (SAMs), anti-aircraft artillery, and enemy aircraft. He also protected his aircraft by jamming enemy radar.

As a Wild Weasel, it was Wilson’s job to protect friendly aircraft attacking enemy SAM sites, who have one of the most dangerous jobs in modern warfare. Wilson and his front seater drew SAMs away from bombers, and targeted the SAM sites themselves. This meant that Weasels spent sometimes more than 20 minutes over the target, as opposed to the one or two minutes bomber pilots spent.

One of our favorite interviews features another Wild Weasel and MOH recipient named Col. Leo Thorsness. Check it out here.


[Capt. Wilson is pictured on the right]

More Episodes

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Addiction and Trauma: SSgt Sam Hargrove

Warriors in their Own Words | S:2 E:164
SSgt Hargrove describes surviving a base bombing in Iraq, and how the attack left her with physical and mental trauma....
Listen to Addiction and Trauma: SSgt Sam Hargrove

Imprisoned by the Japanese: CAPT Lawrence Savadkin

Warriors in their Own Words | S:2 E:163
CAPT Savadkin was serving on the USS Tang when it was sunk in 1944. He was rescued and captured by the Japanese, and imprisoned in the Tokyo Bay A...
Listen to Imprisoned by the Japanese: CAPT Lawrence Savadkin

Losing An Arm in Iraq: SPC Danielle Green

Warriors in their Own Words | S:2 E:161
Green talks about her service in the Army, the blast that took her arm, and what her physical/mental recovery has been like....
Listen to Losing An Arm in Iraq: SPC Danielle Green

Christmas During the Battle of the Bulge: 1st Lt. Belton Cooper

Warriors in their Own Words | S:2 E:160
Lt. Cooper describes a chaotic air raid during the Battle of the Bugle....
Listen to Christmas During the Battle of the Bulge: 1st Lt. Belton Cooper

More About Warriors In Their Own Words and The HONOR Project

Warriors In Their Own Words brings to life the stories of those who have defended this nation. Using archival interviews going back to WWI, as well as current conversations about more recent conflicts, we hear remarkable accounts of service and sacrifice from those who lived them. These podcasts are a production of The HONOR Project: Heroes of Our Nation On Record.

Since 1991, award-winning documentarians Rob Kirk, Rob Lihani and Donna Lusitana have been recording and archiving the remarkable and very personal stories of veterans from World War I through modern conflicts. To provide an ongoing structure for the preservation of these stories, recounted by those who lived them, Kirk, Lihani and Lusitana joined with digital media pioneer, Marc Honorof, to create The HONOR Project.

“We are in the business of reporting history,” said Kirk, “Right now, these incredibly candid stories from a passing generation are what America wants to hear. We didn’t just sit these men down with a list of questions and ask them to reel off facts. We let them speak from the heart and captured all the emotion of their experiences.”

"By wrapping contextual narration around these astonishing stories and adding high quality production values,” said Lihani, “we have produced podcasts which are not only educational, but fascinating as well, along the lines of Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation, or HBO’s Band of Brothers. Many of these veterans are no longer with us, so their accounts need to be remembered and archived. There simply is no substitute for listening to these men tell us their own experiences, in their own words and voices."

If you enjoy hearing these stories directly from those who lived them, please give us a 5-star review on iTunes or wherever you found us. Thank you.

The Team

Ken Harbaugh

The Host
A former US Navy Pilot and past president of Team Rubicon Global. He has served as a commentator for NPR, a host on Crooked Media, and a contributor to The NY Times, The Atlantic, and Yale Journal of International Law.

Declan Rohrs

Producer
Declan Rohrs (He/Him) was born and raised in Lakewood, Ohio. At Evergreen, he has assumed various roles, including Assistant Producer, Editor, Content Creator, and Email-Signature Guru.

Sean Rule Hoffman

Audio Engineer
Sean Rule Hoffman (mix engineer), hailing from Orange, Ohio, earned a degree in Music Technology with a minor in Electronic Media and Film from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.