Medal of Honor Podcast

By: Evergreen Podcasts
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  • Summary

  • 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.
    All Rights Reserved 2021
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Social Sciences World
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Episodes
  • Diving in Darkness: PO2 Owen F.P. Hammerberg

    Diving in Darkness: PO2 Owen F.P. Hammerberg
    Dec 23 2024
    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 diver, George Fuller. When he finally found the other diver, Earl Brown, the wreckage caved in. A heavy piece of steel fell, causing Hammerberg to be pinned down on top of Brown and crushed to death. Since Hammerberg softened the impact of the debris, Brown survived. On February 16th, 1946, Boatswain’s Mate Second Class Owen F.P. Hammerberg was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Thanks to his courage, both George Fuller and Earl Brown lived to see another day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    5 mins
  • Landing in a Minefield: MG Patrick Henry Brady

    Landing in a Minefield: MG Patrick Henry Brady
    Dec 9 2024
    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 densely fogged mountains. This cloud cover was a double edged sword, providing cover from enemy fire, but making it almost impossible for pilots to navigate. At this time, Brady was the only Huey pilot who could fly in it. By turning his aircraft sideways and hovering slowly along the valley trail, he blew away the fog with the backwash of his rotor blades. This cleared a path, and allowed Brady to reach the stranded men. Brady then received word that 70 wounded Americans were in need of rescue nearby. Continuing to navigate the fog using his unique technique, Brady reached their position and made a total of four trips back and forth to the hospital. Brady was supposed to be joined by other pilots, but he was the only one who could penetrate the fog, so he had to do it all on his own. During his third trip, Brady’s Huey was hit by enemy fire. The controls took serious damage, and he later found out they were hanging on by a thread. After this damage assessment, Brady and his crew hopped in a replacement aircraft and continued on with the mission. Brady later received word of an American platoon stranded in a minefield. Another Huey had already attempted to pull them out, but it set off a mine after touching down, forcing it to retreat. With incredible precision, Brady touched down right where the previous aircraft did in order to avoid any mines. His crew then navigated the minefield, dragging the wounded back to the aircraft one by one. On one of their trips they hit an explosive, injuring two crew members and sending shrapnel into the aircraft. Despite their injuries the crew was able to load the rest of the wounded. Brady flew the damaged ship back to the hospital, and swapped into another Huey. On October 9th, 1969, Major General Patrick Henry Brady was awarded the Medal of Honor. Major Brady evacuated a total of 51 seriously wounded men that day, and without his quick response & skillful navigation, many of them wouldn’t have made it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • The Rescue of Bat 21: Lieutenant Thomas Norris

    The Rescue of Bat 21: Lieutenant Thomas Norris
    Nov 25 2024
    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-air missile countermeasures and was privy to top secret strategic air command operations, so if he was captured and turned over to the Russians, it could result in “irreparable damage to American National Defense”. Norris’ team was also tasked with rescuing 1st Lieutenant Mark Clark, an aviator who had been shot down while trying to rescue Hambleton. On the night of April 10th, 1972, Norris’ team successfully evaded multiple patrols, located Clark, and brought him to safety. After two more days of unsuccessful attempts to find Hambleton, many were ready to give up the search. Norris and a South Vietnamese soldier named Petty Officer Nyguen Van Kiet decided to give it one more shot. Again they successfully maneuvered around multiple enemy patrols, and located Hambleton, who was suffering from hunger and exhaustion. On their way back, they encountered two enemy positions, and came under machine gun fire once. Both times they radioed for assistance, and allied airstrikes took out the danger. All three made it back alive. On March 6th, 1976, Lieutenant Thomas Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor for his part in the rescue. Even after many had tried and failed, Norris showed selfless dedication in the face of extreme danger, resulting in the safe return of 1st Lieutenant Mark Clark and Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Gene Hambleton. If you’d like to hear Lieutenant Hambleton tell the story from his perspective, listen to his interview on Warriors In Their Own Words. If you’d like to hear about how Norris was almost killed in a patrol that earned his teammate the Medal of Honor, listen to our episode about Lieutenant Michael Thornton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    7 mins

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