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!)

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!

Harold Bud Long grew up during the Great Depression on his family farm in upstate New York. With farmers vital to winning WW2, how did Bud end up as an Air Corp engineer on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and into concentration camps?

What was it like to be one of the first Black Air Corp pilots in history? George Hardy takes us from segregated training camps in the U.S. to escorting bomber planes in Europe, sharing food stories, hard memories, and high times alone the way.

Army Veteran John Bistrica barely made it past the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. His food supplies? Soaking wet! Hear how John got there, what he ate, and how he made it home.

How did the Coast Guard take fire on D-Day and in the Pacific? Gunner’s Mate Frank Devita takes us from the harrowing shores of Normandy into kamikaze attacks near Japan, sharing mischievous stories of how he fed himself fully along the way.