Medal of Honor Podcast

Dec 23 2024 127 ep. 5 mins 101
Medal of Honor Podcast artwork

Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories from the Civil War to present day include recipients who were originally overlooked for the medal as well as those who were celebrated at the time.This podcast is made in partnership with The National Medal of Honor Museum.

  History  Society & Culture
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Diving in Darkness: PO2 Owen F.P. Hammerberg

Dec 23 2024 4 mins  
PO2 Owen Francis Patrick Hammerberg served in the Navy as a diver near the end of World War II. When two of his fellow divers were trapped underwater as they tried to clear up a shipwreck, Hammersberg volunteered to rescue them. Despite the possibility of cave-ins, debris that could rip open a diver’s air supply, and zero visibility, he successfully found and rescued the first di

Landing in a Minefield: MG Patrick Henry Brady

Dec 09 2024 6 mins  
During his second tour in Vietnam, Major General Patrick Henry Bradyserved as a helicopter pilot in the 57th Medical Detachment, tasked with evacuating wounded no matter what the conditions. The 57th’s call sign, “Dustoff” became one of the most famous call signs in the war. On January 6th, 1968, Brady was awakened to rescue two wounded Vietnamese soldiers stranded in the

The Rescue of Bat 21: Lieutenant Thomas Norris

Nov 25 2024 7 mins  
In April of 1972, Lieutenant Thomas Norris was tasked to lead a mission in Vietnam to rescue Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Gene Hambleton. Hambleton had been shot down in enemy territory, and was surrounded by 30,000 enemy NVA soldiers. Rescuing Hambleton was a top priority for the U.S.. As the navigator of a light bomber (with the call sign Bat 21 Bravo), he was an expert in surface-to

Hunted in North Vietnam: Lieutenant Michael Thornton

Nov 11 2024 7 mins  
Lieutenant Michael Thornton served in Vietnam as a Navy SEAL. On October 31st, 1972, then Petty Officer Thornton was assigned to a night-time SEAL patrol. Thornton and three South Vietnamese SEALs were led by Lieutenant Tom Norris, and tasked with gathering intel on North Vietnam’s southern advance. After taking down two enemies, Thornton was spotted, and 50 NVA soldiers began ch

The Capture of U-505: LTJG Albert L. David

Oct 28 2024 4 mins  
Lieutenant Junior Grade Albert Leroy David served in World War II as an assistant engineering and electrical officer on the USS Pillsbury. On June 4th, 1944, the Pillsbury’s hunter-killer group located a German U-boat 150 miles off the coast of West Africa. They attacked the submarine with depth charges, seriously damaging the ship and forcing the enemy to surface. As they abando

The Battle of Shok Valley: SSG Ronald J. Shurer II

Oct 14 2024 5 mins  
SSG Ronald J. Shurer served in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) as a Medical Sergeant. On April 6th, 2008, his unit embarked on Operation Commando Wrath, a mission to capture or kill high-value targets in Shok Valley. The operation would later be named The Battle of Shok Valley. For six hours, Shurer and his unit came under RPG, machine gun, sniper, and small arms fire o

The Ultimate Sacrifice: Pvt. Christian and Pvt. Johnson

Sep 30 2024 5 mins  
On June 3rd, 1944, Private Herbert Christian and Private Elden Johnson were on a patrol looking for enemy Germans. At 1am, they were ambushed, and came under suffocating fire from nearly all sides. Seeing no other options, Christian and Johnson stood up amidst the fire and advanced, drawing the enemy’s attention away from their allies and towards themselves. Despite the odds, and

The Fighting Field Music: Sgt. Darrell S. Cole

Sep 16 2024 5 mins  
Sergeant Darrell S. Cole initially served during World War II as a bugler. He didn’t like the job, and wanted to serve with his unit so badly that he twice took it upon himself to mount unmanned machine guns and join the battle. For this he became known as “The Fighting Field Music”. Due to his accomplishments and persistence, he was eventually assigned to a machine gun and b

The Battle of A Shau Part II: CSM Bennie G. Adkins

Sep 02 2024 14 mins  
The Battle of A Shau was a brutal battle that took place in the northern part of South Vietnam. More aptly described as a multi-day defense, less than 450 soldiers faced an onslaught of 2,000 NVA attackers. In this two-part episode, we tell the full story of the battle, and reveal why two of the camp’s defenders, Col. Bernard Francis Fisher and CSM Bennie G. Adkins, were both awa

The Battle of A Shau Part I: Col. Bernard Francis Fisher

Aug 19 2024 21 mins  
The Battle of A Shau was a brutal battle that took place in the northern part of South Vietnam. More aptly described as a multi-day defense, less than 450 soldiers faced an onslaught of 2,000 NVA attackers. In this two-part episode, we tell the full story of the battle, and reveal why two of the camp’s defenders, Col. Bernard Francis Fisher and CSM Bennie G. Adkins, were both awa