Service: Veteran Stories of Hunger & War
In the war and food podcast Service: Veteran Stores of Hunger and War, veterans take us from their hometowns to the frontlines and back again in sound-immersive first-person storytelling narratives.
A co-production with iHeartMedia from 2019-the Covid Collapse of 2020, we are currently looking for collaboration to produce our next Korean War season. Interested? email Jacqueline@WordsFoodArt.com
Educators!
We have common-core aligned lesson plans available for 4 episodes. Learn more here.
All Episodes
“Almost Instant Integration”
Executive Order 9981 officially desegregated the U.S. Armed Forces on July 26th, 1948. But racism within the integrated Air Force continued to affect pilot and engineer George Hardy’s service and sacrifice.
“So… What Did World War II Change, Really?”
How did our World War 2 veterans change history forever? And what foods came out of World War II that we still eat today? Historians Myke Cole and Anastacia Marx de Salcedo join our WW2 veterans’ voices to connect some dots.
“They Were Fond of Sweets.”
For women, World War 2 transformed service on the homefront and the frontlines. But they worked twice as hard for half the pay. Army Nurse Victoria Louise Kambic found a bag of sweets in her pocket helped.
“He Lied to Get in the Marines… Then World War II Broke Out”
The Marines are notorious for being first on the ground during wartime. What does 100-year old Norman Rubin remember about traveling the world and storming islands? (Guarding President Roosevelt! And the food!)
“All's Fair in War and Lasting Love”
From dining room tables to D-Day, our World War 2 veterans share stories of their wartime sweethearts on this special Valentine’s Day episode.
“Navy Cooking at 110%”
Ray Stanley Boutwell was one of seven brothers who served his country. As a Navy cook in New Jersey, he shares innovations in 1940s frozen meat, why the officers loved his food, and how cooking in the Service fueled him for a life in the professional kitchen.
“We Were Treated Like Kings”
Did education and affluence affect service in WW2? Navy Lieutenant Robert Hanson takes us from the Ivy Leagues onto the most dangerous boats of the Pacific, teaching Navy combat and island cuisine along the way.
“When You Look Like the Enemy...”
Japanese American citizens were prisoners of war in the U.S. during WW2. The Japanese American soldiers of the 442nd “Purple Heart Battalion” are the most decorated outfit in military history to this day. Lawson Ichiro Sakai shares a gripping story covering it all. (Free history lesson plans for this episode!
For the Mechanically Minded
How did advancements in technology make or break missions for our WW2 veterans? Learn a little in this primer! (Extra episode!)
"We Gave Them the Food From Our Mess Kits."
What did soldiers eat in WW2? Army veteran Pat D’Ambrosio takes us from Pearl Harbor through the draft and into the Pacific theater, and home again. (Get free World War II history lesson plans for this episode, too!)