1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,800 All across America and around the world, this is Veterans Radio. 2 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:20,400 And now, your host for today's program, Dale Throneberry. 3 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:24,400 And welcome to Veterans Radio. 4 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:30,840 My name is Dale Throneberry, CW2 Type Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam, 1969. 5 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:31,840 Welcome to our program. 6 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:36,080 We're going to be talking about some really interesting things, I think, today. 7 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:40,680 I've got an author on for a book that's titled, Hodenay Nemo. 8 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:42,400 And it's Charles Lachman. 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:48,040 And it's a story of the capture of a U-boat during World War II that nobody knew about. 10 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:56,240 So this is kind of our opening salvo to say about the story and the history of this amazing 11 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:57,960 adventure, I think. 12 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,320 Also have a segment later on in the program where we're going to be talking with the Wounded 13 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:06,320 Warrior Project about how companies can partner up with nonprofits and make their communities 14 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:07,320 better. 15 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:12,160 So I want you to make sure that you tune in and listen to that whole thing there. 16 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,640 Before we get into the story, of course, I have to thank our sponsors because we can't 17 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,560 do this program without them. 18 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:20,400 Number one is Legal Help for Veterans. 19 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:24,760 Legal Help for Veterans specializes in veterans disability claims. 20 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:31,880 So give Legal Help for Veterans a call at 800-693-4800, or you can go to their website, 21 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,360 LegalHelpForVeterns.com. 22 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:39,560 The National Veterans Business Development Council, better known as NVBDC, is the nation's 23 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,880 leading third party authority for certification of veteran known businesses. 24 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,120 If you want to do business with the federal government, you have to be certified as a 25 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:49,720 veteran known business. 26 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,680 Some reason there are people out there that don't like to play by the rules. 27 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,280 So these are the folks that can help you out. 28 00:01:55,280 --> 00:02:00,400 For more information, you can go to their website, NVBDC.org, or give them a call at 29 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:05,520 888-237-8433. 30 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,600 The Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center here in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 31 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,120 For more information, go to va.gov.anarborhealthcare. 32 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,920 The National Vietnam Veterans of America never again will one generation of veterans abandon 33 00:02:18,920 --> 00:02:19,920 another. 34 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:24,320 For more information, go to their website, vva.org. 35 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:32,240 And our local VVSO organizations, the Irwin Prescott and American Legion Post 46 and the 36 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:38,400 Charles S. Kettles Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 310, both of Ann Arbor, Michigan. 37 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:43,760 If you'd like to support Veterans Radio, please go to our website, veteransradio.org. 38 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:45,960 Click on the little donate button. 39 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:46,960 Thank you in advance. 40 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,760 Now, on to the show, as they say. 41 00:02:50,760 --> 00:03:00,360 So joining me on Zoom is the author of the book titled, Code Name Nemo, as Charles Lachman. 42 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:05,560 Charles Lachman is the author of four previous books, What Steps in the Snow, The Last Lincoln, 43 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,600 A Secret Life, and a Crime Novel in the Name of the Law. 44 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:15,120 He is also the executive producer of the nationally syndicated news magazine Inside Edition. 45 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:22,000 He's appeared on CNN, MSNBC, History Channel, Lifetime, C-SPAN, all types of things. 46 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:23,480 He lives in New York City. 47 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,480 I just want to read one quick review of the book. 48 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:29,360 And this is, I thought, was interesting. 49 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:34,120 Says Charles Lachman weaves the incredible story of the capture by American forces of 50 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:39,120 a German U-boat and its secrets during World War II, an operation which allowed Allied 51 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:45,720 forces to shock the German Navy, richly detailed with undeniable suspense and action. 52 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:49,800 Code Name Nemo is destined for the nonfiction bestseller list. 53 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,920 Bill O'Reilly, number one New York Times bestselling author. 54 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,000 I thought that was a pretty good review. 55 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,040 So joining me right now on Veterans Radio is Charles Lachman. 56 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:01,320 Charles, welcome to the program. 57 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,320 Thank you, Dave, for having me, really appreciate it. 58 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,600 Well, it certainly is my pleasure. 59 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:13,720 And as we were talking earlier, I mentioned I received this as a not-for-sale, advanced 60 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,560 review copy a couple of months ago. 61 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:17,920 And I said, oh, I don't know if I want to read this. 62 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:21,280 Oh, I picked it up and that was it. 63 00:04:21,280 --> 00:04:22,280 I was done. 64 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:25,240 I had to read the whole thing straight through. 65 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:33,160 And mainly when I got to the end, I found out that this is about a U-boat 505. 66 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:38,880 And for those of you in the Midwestern United States, you've probably been to Chicago to 67 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,200 the Science and Industry Museum. 68 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:47,320 And at the Science and Industry Museum is this actual submarine. 69 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:51,720 And when I got to the end, that's where it came from. 70 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:53,160 Oh, my gosh. 71 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:54,920 So it's a great story. 72 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:59,440 So Charles, tell me, how did you get involved in writing this story? 73 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:03,600 Well, I had a similar experience to what you just described. 74 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,440 I went to Chicago with my wife. 75 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,800 Our daughter had just moved there and she was a little lonely. 76 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:16,640 So we spent, flew out there for Thanksgiving. 77 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:22,480 And her boyfriend at the time wanted to keep the parents entertained and happy and created 78 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:24,640 this whole like her for us. 79 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:32,840 And he took us to the Museum of Science and Industry and was all worked up about this exhibit. 80 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:35,120 You've got to see this Nazi U-boat exhibit. 81 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:36,120 It's amazing. 82 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:38,720 I was very intrigued by the whole idea of it. 83 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:42,040 I had never heard of U-505 before, frankly. 84 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:51,760 We went to the museum and we go down four sub-basements to this amazing hall. 85 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:52,760 It's enormous. 86 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:59,280 You walk in there and there in front of you is a Nazi U-boat from World War II. 87 00:05:59,280 --> 00:06:06,520 And my first thought was, how the heck did it end up in Chicago? 88 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,360 Second thought, how the heck did they capture it? 89 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:10,840 And then I turned to my wife. 90 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:14,480 My third thought was, this is a book. 91 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,400 And that's how it all started. 92 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:24,800 And I went on this really remarkable adventure of research and writing that culminated in 93 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:26,680 codename Nemo being published. 94 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:33,720 Well, just for our audience's sake, can you give us a little quick little background of 95 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,600 the effectiveness of the U-boats during World War II? 96 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:43,120 Well, it was a critical component of the Battle of the Atlantic. 97 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:49,880 And a lot of people really don't know too much about the Battle of the Atlantic. 98 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:55,920 But what it did is it pitted U-boats and other warships of the German Navy against the Royal 99 00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:03,160 Navy of the UK and the US Navy and allied merchant shipping. 100 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:08,440 And the main target of the Germans was to search and destroy merchant ships that were 101 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:13,640 coming from North America and mostly going to the United Kingdom and also to the Soviet 102 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:14,800 Union. 103 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:20,840 And the goal of the Germans was to strangle the British into submission to cut off their 104 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:24,920 supply of food and war material and ammunition. 105 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,880 Remember Britain is an island nation without much natural resources. 106 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:35,080 So convoys were developed, these fleets of merchant ships that were carrying these goods 107 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:40,360 and they were shielded by American and British warships that protected them as they crossed 108 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:42,440 the Atlantic. 109 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:51,480 And then the U-boats were extraordinarily effective in blowing up a whole bunch of these merchant 110 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:52,480 ships. 111 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:57,640 And there's a quote that starts off my book from Winston Churchill who would say, after 112 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:03,480 the war, that the only thing that really frightened him during the war was the U-boat peril. 113 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,680 He was more anxious about U-boats and the Battle of the Atlantic than he had been about 114 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:08,680 the Battle of Brittany. 115 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:10,840 Well, that makes a lot of sense. 116 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,280 I mean, when I was growing up, I'm from New Jersey originally. 117 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:20,040 And so, you know, all along the Jersey Shore, they would talk about, you know, that these 118 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,320 submarines were out there. 119 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,920 And I mean, obviously, I don't remember that part of it, not quite that old. 120 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:33,240 But the when I was reading your book and you were talking about these U-boats hanging 121 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:38,560 out just outside the harbors of New York and Charleston and, you know, up and down the 122 00:08:38,560 --> 00:08:40,480 East Coast of America. 123 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:44,960 And as soon as these merchant ships would get out there, they became targets. 124 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:45,960 Yeah, totally. 125 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:56,600 In fact, Kay Pateris back in the 1940s was called Hurricane Junction, sorry, a U-boat 126 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:05,240 junction, because all these hundreds of merchant ships were being blown up by the U-boats. 127 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:10,840 Total number of ships that were destroyed by U-boats during the war were about 3,000. 128 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,920 And the U-boats worked in coordinated wolf packs. 129 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:20,400 So when one U-boat would sight a convoy, it would report the sightings to U-boat headquarters 130 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,080 and the other U-boats would move in. 131 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:28,000 And so instead of facing like a single submarine, the convoys were attacked by up to a half 132 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:32,560 dozen or so U-boats attacking simultaneously. 133 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:33,560 Wow. 134 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:37,680 That'd be a little bit frightening. 135 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:40,840 The interesting way that you put the book together is that you put it in a kind of a 136 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:41,960 first person thing. 137 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:46,480 How did you get these dialogues and so forth? 138 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:49,080 How were you able to put those together? 139 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:57,760 Well, the book is written in the present tense, which I thought added a lot of drama and enhanced 140 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,120 the reading experience. 141 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:03,680 And all the dialogue is nothing is made up. 142 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:13,280 All the dialogue is actually recounted by the members of the Rating Party that sees 143 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:15,360 the U-505. 144 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:20,000 And it's based on their personal recollections. 145 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:27,320 And also Captain Gallery, who led the mission and conceived the idea of seizing a U-boat 146 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:34,320 on the high seas, that battle was actually recorded by the Navy. 147 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:41,360 So all the dialogue and back and forth that went on between the USS Guadalcanal and the 148 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:47,080 various destroyer escorts is actually as it happened. 149 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:50,360 Well, I know we have a lot of Navy listeners. 150 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,280 And this was a learning experience for maybe in from the Army. 151 00:10:54,280 --> 00:11:01,560 And that a battle group consisted of an aircraft carrier and four or five destroyers. 152 00:11:01,560 --> 00:11:02,880 Right. 153 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:07,480 It was Task Force 22.3. 154 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:17,240 And it consisted of the USS Guadalcanal, it was called a baby flat top, which is it wasn't 155 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:26,320 quite the majestic aircraft carriers like the Enterprise. 156 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,480 At the Enterprise, right. 157 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:32,760 It was about half the size, about 500 feet in length. 158 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:45,400 And the whole idea was to build these ships on the cheap and in mass production. 159 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:51,640 It's basically taking the concept of the Ford Motor Company and bringing it into a wartime 160 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:53,680 or production. 161 00:11:53,680 --> 00:12:03,480 And then the Guadalcanal was surrounded by five destroyer escorts. 162 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,120 And they were they had two goals. 163 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:13,520 One was to seek out search and destroy Nazi U-boats. 164 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:21,040 And the other one was to perform a protective screen so that the Guadalcanal would be protected 165 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:29,480 by by any U-boat wolf packs because the Navy did not want to lose a a a a a a a aircraft 166 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:30,480 carrier. 167 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:32,480 No, it's not good. 168 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,000 No, that wouldn't be good. 169 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:40,960 We're talking with Charles Lachman here is the author of the book, Code Name Nemo. 170 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:46,480 And it's about the capture of U-boat U-boat 505. 171 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:51,920 And the thing that I found so interesting about the book was that you wrote it from 172 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,320 both sides of the story. 173 00:12:54,320 --> 00:13:02,160 And so in addition to hearing all of the Navy's, you know, the sailors and so forth 174 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:04,480 in their dialogues and what they're trying to do. 175 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:08,000 But you also gave us a little background on what the Germans were up to. 176 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:13,160 And that I thought was really interesting from the standpoint of if you could describe 177 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:16,720 for our audience a little bit the life of a submarine. 178 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:17,720 Sure. 179 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:26,720 Well, life was pretty tough for any U-boat sailor. 180 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:31,840 It meant serving three months at sea. 181 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:37,400 And the living conditions were horrendous. 182 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:46,520 You really have to love serving on a submarine to really appreciate it. 183 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:52,440 The food was okay. 184 00:13:52,440 --> 00:14:00,560 It took a lot of, it was challenging to store the U-boat with enough food to last for three 185 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:04,360 months at sea in this very limited amount of space. 186 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:14,840 I tell this one story where usually the beginning of the voyage was filled with, the food served 187 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:16,640 was mainly eggs. 188 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:22,040 They stored about 2,000 eggs, which had to be consumed in the first two weeks or so 189 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:24,880 of the cruise before they started rotting. 190 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:27,200 And all the meat was canned. 191 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:36,560 And the smell was filled with thousands of pounds of potatoes, the food, the meat, and 192 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:43,720 milk was all powdered in total, 12 tons of food in this limited storage space. 193 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:50,800 And I don't want to get too graphic about it, but the facilities were, shall we say, 194 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:51,800 wanting. 195 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:59,400 They had two heads on the ship, but they were also used for storage. 196 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:01,440 So you did the best you could. 197 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:03,640 You had a bucket. 198 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:10,400 And when the ship had surfaced, you did what you took care of business that way. 199 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:18,040 But the smell was something that you had to really experience, not to appreciate. 200 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:25,680 I would think not, how many people were on the submarine? 201 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:31,400 There were between 50 and 60, depending on the particular cruise. 202 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:40,880 And just can you give us an idea of how big the German submarines were, like 200 feet? 203 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:47,760 It was at the bottom, not 200 feet. 204 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,760 This was very limited. 205 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:59,360 The ideal submariner was short because you didn't want his head to bop against the top 206 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:01,400 of the submarine. 207 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:11,360 And the cot where you slept was called hot racking. 208 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:15,240 It meant that it was in use 24 or 7. 209 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:23,720 So when you got some shut eye and then it came your turn to go on duty, you jumped out 210 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:36,720 of your cotton and another sailor hopped in and took your place during his down shift. 211 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:46,240 But morale was high despite the conditions, but really it depended on who your captain 212 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:47,240 was. 213 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:51,080 Some captains, U-505 in particular, had three captains. 214 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:53,800 The first one was admired by his men. 215 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:58,120 The third captain was also a respected commander. 216 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:04,320 But the second captain was loathed by his own men. 217 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:11,840 He was a terrible leader and they just despised him. 218 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:18,800 Yeah, they had a lot of issues with that particular captain. 219 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:25,320 And I'm trying to paint this picture a little bit of what life on a submarine was like. 220 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:30,720 So how long could they stay submerged? 221 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:32,600 It's interesting. 222 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:39,400 They could stay submerged for about 24 hours max. 223 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:45,840 And the reason for that is that when they were submerged, they ran on electrical power, 224 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:48,400 these giant batteries. 225 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:58,000 And those batteries would run out after about 24 hours and the U-boat would have to surface. 226 00:17:58,000 --> 00:17:59,720 And the batteries would be recharged. 227 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:05,640 And while the recharging process took place, the ship was run on diesel fuel. 228 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:11,280 And that made them vulnerable to the Allied forces. 229 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:17,840 Once they were submerged, they were invisible, except by obviously by radar that was developed 230 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:18,840 later in the war. 231 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:29,000 But once they surfaced, that's when they became prey for both US and British Navy vessels 232 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:38,080 and aircraft that they tried to surface usually at night when it became more challenging to 233 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:39,400 spot them. 234 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,400 Oh, man. 235 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:46,880 That's kind of a scary thing there. 236 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:54,600 We're thinking about that because the war in the Atlantic, we're not that familiar with 237 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:59,360 the naval war in the Atlantic as much as we were with the naval war in the Pacific. 238 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:06,880 And I don't think that many of us were aware that all of this was going on at the Subsearchers. 239 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:15,320 I remember one of my friend's dad's was in the Navy and he was on a, I can't remember 240 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:21,120 what kind of ship it was, but they were out looking for submarines his entire tour. 241 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:25,160 And you never knew where these guys were coming from. 242 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:31,240 As you pointed out, I mean, they're underwater and the only thing that sticks up is the periscope. 243 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:34,840 And the next thing you know, they're blowing somebody up. 244 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:43,160 And in addition, the Germans were pretty sophisticated with their weapons. 245 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:48,880 And they came up with a torpedo that was an acoustic. 246 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:51,760 Is that what it was called an acoustic torpedo? 247 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:53,000 Right. 248 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:57,840 That was one of the great successes of the Capture of View 505. 249 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:04,440 At the time, the Germans, and we know that how skilled they are at technology, had invented 250 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:13,400 the acoustic torpedo, which basically listened to the sound made by surface propellers and 251 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:21,240 zeroed in on that and were very effective in weapons of war. 252 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:25,120 And the Allies were very concerned about it. 253 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:32,240 When you 505 was captured, they found about, I believe the numbers, 21 acoustic torpedoes 254 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:33,240 on board. 255 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:40,400 And they're able to figure out how to counteract the German technology with that discovery. 256 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:46,080 The sailors were, US sailors, they called them torpedoes with ears. 257 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:55,360 They were just absolutely, there was one scene in the book where a sailor is on board the 258 00:20:55,360 --> 00:21:03,040 US S. Pillsbury and he sees a torpedo coming at him. 259 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,480 And fortunately, the torpedo missed. 260 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:12,800 And then he turns around and lo and behold, that same torpedo has turned around and continued 261 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,240 its pursuit of the Pillsbury. 262 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:24,800 Fortunately, it had expelled its entire fuel supply and conked out before it hit the Pillsbury. 263 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:30,040 But it shows you how really menacing these weapons were. 264 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:41,040 Well, let's talk a little bit about the adventure on the high seas and finding 505. 265 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:51,600 I mean, this was a really just an incredible coordinated effort to actually find the 505. 266 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:57,840 Because as you mentioned, they spend most of their days underwater and yet the Navy 267 00:21:57,840 --> 00:21:59,520 was able to locate them. 268 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,000 Could you go into that a little bit for us? 269 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:03,000 Sure. 270 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:14,960 Well, Captain Dan Gallery, the leader of the Task Force 22.3 had conceived of the idea 271 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:21,120 of capturing a German U-boat on the high seas back in 1942. 272 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:23,000 And it just kept simmering in his head. 273 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:28,920 And it took him a couple of years to kind of formulate the plan. 274 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:40,520 And then in March of 1944, he set out from Norfolk with the USS Guadalcanal and five 275 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:42,520 destroyer escorts. 276 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:48,000 And he brought his commanding officers together in the ready room of the Guadalcanal just 277 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,320 before they sailed out. 278 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:56,520 And he filled them in for the first time on this mission, which was not just to hunt and 279 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,920 kill U-boats, but also to capture one. 280 00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:01,840 And they looked at him as if he was nuts. 281 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:10,840 I mean, he describes Gallery, men to seeing one of the captains or commanders of the destroyer 282 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:16,440 escort kind of swirling his finger on the side of his head as if the sky is crazy. 283 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:24,680 But he ordered the destroyer escorts to find volunteers. 284 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:31,480 I'm going to focus on the Pillsbury because that's the one that ended up actually sending 285 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,600 its men over to the U-505. 286 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:43,920 The Pillsbury commanding officer picked a Lieutenant J.G. named Albert David to lead 287 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:45,880 the raiding party. 288 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:56,200 And David went around the vessel and signed up nine volunteers. 289 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,080 And they really didn't take him seriously. 290 00:23:58,080 --> 00:23:59,080 They were young guys. 291 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,160 They were full of vitality. 292 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:06,840 And they figured, okay, let's give it a shot. 293 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:13,520 They really didn't think that this would be in any way successfully pulled off. 294 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,840 They just didn't think it was at all possible. 295 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:22,120 And it was a very, but they trained for a number of weeks. 296 00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:30,600 And finally on June 4th, 1944, U-505 was spotted. 297 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:38,240 They had picked up its presence via radar and also some Navy intelligence had given 298 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:43,440 them a good sense of where in the vicinity this U-boat was. 299 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:49,240 And then Captain Gallery sent a couple of fighter planes into the air. 300 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:59,880 And sure enough, they could see the U-boat below the surface off the west coast of Africa. 301 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:06,160 And the day was, the water was extraordinarily clear on that particular day, lucky for the 302 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:07,800 Allies. 303 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:12,960 And per Gallery's instructions, they opened fire. 304 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:18,200 And the whole idea was not to destroy, to blow up the U-boat. 305 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:27,240 The idea was to damage it just enough so that it would force the U-boat Captain to surface 306 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:30,880 and surrender. 307 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:40,960 And it involved a tremendous amount of skill and also a tremendous amount of fortuitous, 308 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:44,960 good luck for this to happen. 309 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:55,720 And sure enough, the U-boat was pounded by small arms fire from both the fighter planes 310 00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:04,240 in the air and also the various U.S. vessels. 311 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:11,280 And it damaged the rudder of the U-boat and it forced the U-boat to surface. 312 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:20,840 And that's when Gallery ordered the nine volunteers to pursue the U-boat. 313 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:27,240 So these nine sailors climbed it to a whale boat and they zipped across the ocean. 314 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:32,760 It was about 3,000 yards away. 315 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:40,120 And they proceeded to board the U-boat just as the German sailors were abandoning ship. 316 00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:42,760 Well, I mean, that's that. 317 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:46,240 Again, you're in a submarine, where are you going to go? 318 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:48,360 And the thing is all broken. 319 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:52,080 It's spinning around more or less out in the middle of the ocean. 320 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:58,040 And in the book, you mentioned that one of the Germans came up onto the conning tower 321 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,040 and looked out and they were surrounded. 322 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,440 And so they decided they got to get off the boat. 323 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:07,720 We need to take a real quick break here. 324 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:10,880 And we're going to play our Medal of Honor for today's program. 325 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,720 And when we come back, let's talk about the importance of this 505. 326 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:15,720 What was the big deal? 327 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,560 Why did we have to capture a German submarine? 328 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:21,280 So you're listening to Veterans Radio. 329 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,000 We'll be right back after this. 330 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,720 The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in combat, given a member of the Armed 331 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:29,880 Forces of the United States. 332 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:34,480 There have been over 3,500 recipients of our nation's highest award. 333 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:36,120 This is one of them. 334 00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:42,440 On June 4, 1944, Navy Lieutenant Alfred David led a boarding party aboard a captured German 335 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:43,440 U-boat. 336 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,680 Details after this. 337 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,560 If you have a VA claim denied by the Board of Veterans Appeals, contact Legal Help for 338 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:53,760 Veterans at 1-800-693-4800. 339 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,800 They're experts in handling cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 340 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,880 Their number again, 1-800-693-4800. 341 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:07,160 David was attached to the USS Pillsbury during the capture of an enemy German submarine off 342 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,480 French West Africa on 4 June 1944. 343 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:16,880 Taking a vigorous part in this skillfully coordinated attack on the German U-boat 505, 344 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:21,560 Lieutenant Alfred David boldly led a party from the Pillsbury and boarding hostile submarine 345 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:26,200 as it circled erratically at five or six knots on the surface. 346 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,680 Fully aware that the U-boat might momentarily sink or be blown up by exploding demolition 347 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:35,000 or in scuttling charges, he braved the additional danger of enemy gunfire. 348 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:39,480 To plunge through the conning tower hatch and with his small party exerted every effort 349 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:44,280 to keep the ship afloat and gathered all the German code books and the infamous Ignidmug 350 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:45,800 machine. 351 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:50,880 His mission was to make the U-505 sea-worthy for the long tow across the Atlantic to a 352 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:52,380 U.S. port. 353 00:28:52,380 --> 00:28:56,720 By his valiant service during the first successful boarding and capture of an enemy man of war 354 00:28:56,720 --> 00:29:02,640 on the high seas by the U.S. Navy since 1815, Lieutenant David contributed materially to 355 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:07,040 the effectiveness of our Battle of the Atlantic and upheld the highest traditions of the United 356 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,480 States Naval Service. 357 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:13,760 Lieutenant David's Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously and is located at the Museum 358 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:21,040 of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois, along with a refurbished German U-boat 505. 359 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,400 The Medal of Honor series is a production of Veterans Radio. 360 00:29:51,040 --> 00:30:02,720 We're back here on Veterans Radio and we are talking with Charles Lachman, who is the 361 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,680 author of a book titled Code Name Nemo. 362 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:12,680 It's about the capture of a German U-boat in the Atlantic Ocean back in June of 1944, 363 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:13,680 just before D-Day. 364 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:20,800 Charles, I wanted to know, I guess, you know, what was the big attraction? 365 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:24,600 Why did we want to capture this boat and how did we, I mean, we already talked a little 366 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:28,720 bit about how we went about it, but what did, what information did they gather after they 367 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:30,720 captured it? 368 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:31,720 Right. 369 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:37,040 First, I just want to say how delighted I was to hear that you cite the Medal of Honor 370 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:41,200 citation that Lieutenant David got. 371 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:50,480 He was the only Navy sailor in the Battle of the Atlantic to receive a Medal of Honor. 372 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:54,360 And he's really a forgotten American hero. 373 00:30:54,360 --> 00:31:02,200 It's so sad to think that he survived this extraordinarily dangerous mission. 374 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:08,000 He led the boarding party and then at the end of the war, he was going to be given the 375 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:11,400 Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony. 376 00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:18,000 And about two weeks before, he suffered a whittlemaker, a fatal heart attack. 377 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:27,840 So I was delighted that Kodenay Nemo brought his story back to a new generation of Americans. 378 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:36,120 But in answer to your question, Dale, the capture of U-505 was of enormous significance 379 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:44,640 to the World War II efforts to beat the Nazis. 380 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:52,640 And what it did was it resulted in the capture of the current cipher codes for the German 381 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:58,440 U-boat fleet in the Atlantic for the last two weeks of June 1944. 382 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:07,360 So that meant that the Allies could, the Codebreakers could read U-boat messages in real time as 383 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:10,720 fast as the Germans received them. 384 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:18,640 And it freed up an estimated 13,000 hours of precious decoding computer time in those 385 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:24,720 all-important weeks that followed the D-Day invasion. 386 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:29,080 I think the idea, can you tell me about the Enigma machine? 387 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:32,280 I got confused myself on that one. 388 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:38,920 Well, the Enigma machine, if anyone has seen that terrific British movie, The Imitation 389 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:45,320 Game, you know a little bit about the Enigma machine, basically it was a cipher device 390 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:49,680 that was used to protect military communications. 391 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:54,040 It looked like a typewriter and it had keys that you type with. 392 00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:56,640 And if you looked at it, you think it was just a typewriter. 393 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:59,840 But each time you hit a key, a light would go on. 394 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:09,480 And if you opened it up on the back, it was a kind of a spaghetti of a wires and four 395 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:11,120 electromechanical road is. 396 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:15,880 And what it did was it scrambled the letters of the alphabet into pure gibberish. 397 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:21,080 And there were millions and millions of potential combinations and the Germans considered it 398 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:25,560 to be foolproof that no one could break the code. 399 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:33,160 Of course, they didn't count on a brilliant British professor named Alan Turing to create 400 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:39,120 this computer that was able to crack the code in 1942. 401 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:46,280 But the significance of U505 was, as I pointed out, that you still needed, through Turing's 402 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:49,880 computer, you needed all that computer time. 403 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:56,000 U505, the net result was that they were able to read it in real time. 404 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,880 I think that's part of the cool thing. 405 00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:05,960 The coolest thing about the book is that we get to hear these characters on both sides 406 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:10,080 and talking about what they are doing. 407 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:16,920 So I'm really encouraging people to take the opportunity to buy the book, Code Name Nemo, 408 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,040 so that you can hear about these things. 409 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:28,800 Because the Germans are talking about their devotion to Nazism and to Hitler and so forth. 410 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:35,960 But they're going home on leaves and they're seeing their homes are destroyed, relationships 411 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:37,240 and all kinds of things. 412 00:34:37,240 --> 00:34:44,400 And you have the Americans on the other side talking sports and all kinds of typical American 413 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:47,960 intellectual dialogue. 414 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:52,440 But I just found that part to be extremely interesting. 415 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:57,640 And I thought it was, you know, the other thing was, and I guess we can finish this 416 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:02,200 out with, the Germans didn't know that we captured this thing. 417 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:03,640 That's right. 418 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:11,160 It was absolutely essential that it be kept a secret from the German high command. 419 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:20,320 They assumed that U-505 had been lost at sea, either through an accident or by the work 420 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:24,240 of the US or British navies. 421 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:30,960 And the reason that it had to be kept secret is that there was a real concern that if the 422 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:39,520 Germans had found out that U-505 had been captured intact and all its men were, except 423 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:46,360 for one, were still alive, that they would realize that their code books and the enigma 424 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:49,000 machine had been compromised. 425 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:54,760 So what happened was an extraordinary effort to keep it secret. 426 00:35:54,760 --> 00:36:06,040 Every man on that task force, 22.3, was ordered to sign an oath and it swore them to secrecy 427 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:08,320 until the end of the war. 428 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:12,640 And the penalty of execution, that's how seriously it was taken. 429 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:19,320 And then one of the most fascinating parts of the story to me was that the German POWs, 430 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:26,960 all 59 of them, were sent to a POW camp in Louisiana. 431 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:32,240 Their families back home in Germany all assumed that they were dead. 432 00:36:32,240 --> 00:36:38,680 But it was only after the Germans surrendered in 1945 did they learn that they were still 433 00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:39,680 alive. 434 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:45,760 This was actually in violation of the Geneva Convention and the International Red Cross. 435 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:50,960 You're supposed to tell, inform the other side that you've captured their men, that 436 00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:58,680 they're POWs, but this was considered to be so serious that the Americans decided that 437 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:07,360 for the sake of victory, they had to keep the existence of the German POWs a secret. 438 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:15,080 Yeah, I mean, the German families didn't know that their loved ones had survived until 439 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:25,960 late in the war, like 1946 almost seemed like what I remember reading in the book. 440 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:30,880 I think you mentioned when we were talking earlier about the many of the Germans, you 441 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:34,640 know, the, let me back up and clarify this. 442 00:37:34,640 --> 00:37:41,080 So many of the American Navy guys and so forth would have their reunions and they would have 443 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:48,040 their reunions in Chicago because somehow Chicago managed to get the 505 on display 444 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:49,520 there. 445 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:51,360 And that's all covered in the book. 446 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:53,960 And we don't have to go through that. 447 00:37:53,960 --> 00:38:01,080 And many times many of the Germans, submariners from the 505 would come to those reunions. 448 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:06,720 And that's where you found the travel, you know, just a trove of information. 449 00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:07,720 Yes. 450 00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:14,600 One of the things that made me want to write the book is that I want to write about American 451 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:15,600 heroes. 452 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:27,800 And these sailors were just kids when the war started and they were humble, humble people. 453 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:32,320 Bear in mind they had the greatest war story that's imaginable that they could tell. 454 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:37,440 But when they came back to their families after the war in their hometowns, all they 455 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:47,760 wanted to do was start their lives, raise families, get good paying jobs and forget about the 456 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:48,760 war. 457 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:56,240 I tell one story where an American sailor who was on the boarding party, he was actually 458 00:38:56,240 --> 00:39:03,200 the, they call them flags. 459 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:09,520 He never told his kids about his role in capturing U505. 460 00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:16,000 And one day his eldest son came home from college and his mother said, I want to show 461 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:17,000 you something. 462 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:22,520 And she went into the bedroom and opened the drawer in the night table. 463 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:29,560 And inside a box that she opened up was the silver star that he had been awarded for his 464 00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:30,560 role in U505. 465 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:33,720 And the kid had no idea about that. 466 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:41,360 But just to get back to your question, they, as years went on, they made a point of visiting 467 00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:47,480 Chicago for these big 10th anniversary, 20th anniversary unions. 468 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:52,720 And lo and behold, a lot of times the Germans who they captured also came. 469 00:39:52,720 --> 00:39:59,120 Just as U505 was so critical in the lives of the Americans who were participating in 470 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:03,920 the raiding party, so it was for the German crew members. 471 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:10,120 And they came back, some actually moved to Chicago because they wanted to be near U505. 472 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:12,040 Can you believe that? 473 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:21,520 So look, after the war, Germany became our allies and they still are. 474 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:27,360 And you know what they say, yesterday's enemy is tomorrow's friend. 475 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:29,400 So that's where that stood. 476 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:33,240 Well, I think it's a great story, Charles. 477 00:40:33,240 --> 00:40:39,880 And I really encourage our listeners to go out and get this book titled, Code Name Nemo. 478 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:44,480 And it's the hunt for the Nazi U-Boat and the elusive enigma machine. 479 00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:48,680 Great dialogue, great stories, some really interesting characters in there. 480 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:52,880 And I want to congratulate you on writing just a wonderful book. 481 00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:53,880 Thank you so much. 482 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:54,880 Very much appreciated. 483 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:58,560 Okay, so let me know when you write another one. 484 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:01,000 I'd love to have you back on the program. 485 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:02,000 You got it. 486 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:03,000 Yeah. 487 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:04,000 All right. 488 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:05,000 Thank you very much. 489 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:06,000 All right. 490 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:07,000 That was Charles Lachman. 491 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:08,000 The book is Code Name Nemo. 492 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:09,000 Go out and get this book. 493 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:12,120 I think you're going to find it really interesting. 494 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:14,600 Something that you should know more about. 495 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:20,720 We're going to go right now to a little interview that we did earlier in the week with where 496 00:41:20,720 --> 00:41:21,720 did it go? 497 00:41:21,720 --> 00:41:22,720 Where did it go? 498 00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:24,800 My notes are all over the place. 499 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:25,800 Here. 500 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:26,800 Okay. 501 00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:27,800 There it is. 502 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:28,800 All right. 503 00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:29,800 This is from the Wounded Warrior Project. 504 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:34,200 And they had the National Nonprofit Day was just the other day. 505 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:40,680 And so the Wounded Warrior Project put out an interview about how they are sharing information 506 00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:46,240 with companies and how they can partner with nonprofits for making communities better. 507 00:41:46,240 --> 00:41:49,000 So we're going to run this right now. 508 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,800 So Derek, here we go. 509 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:55,600 Here we are here on Veterans Radio and we have a really great opportunity today. 510 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:59,480 We're talking with representatives from the Wounded Warrior Foundation. 511 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:07,000 And they're going to be talking to us today about the upcoming National Nonprofit Day, 512 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:10,160 which is going to be on Saturday the 17th. 513 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:16,000 And the Wounded Warriors work with many corporations in helping with fundraising for the community, 514 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:17,000 of course. 515 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:23,920 The Wounded Warriors are designed to help veterans mostly from the post 9-11 generation 516 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:25,320 of veterans. 517 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:28,520 But of course it's all across the country and they're doing really great things. 518 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:32,800 So joining me real quickly today, we've got, and I'm hoping I'm going to mess these names 519 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:36,720 up too badly, but I've got Brea Todd from the Wounded Warrior Project. 520 00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:42,560 I've got Brian Tucker from CSX and I've got Olivia Parker from Parker's Kitchen. 521 00:42:42,560 --> 00:42:43,560 Is that correct? 522 00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:44,800 So I'll start off with Brea. 523 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:48,640 Tell us about the programs and services that are offered to veterans through the Wounded 524 00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:50,840 Warrior Project. 525 00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:55,360 So Wounded Warrior Project offers free programs and services to warriors and their family 526 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:56,360 members. 527 00:42:56,360 --> 00:43:02,000 And those programs focus in areas such as mental and brain health, financial health and wellness, 528 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:08,000 connection events, advocacy efforts, as well as physical health and wellness. 529 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:13,080 And we serve warriors in their communities and we meet them where they are in their recovery 530 00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:14,080 journey. 531 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:18,440 And how are we doing this corporate partners thing? 532 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:19,960 Where did you come up with this? 533 00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:25,320 Yes, so we've been really fortunate to work with corporate partners such as CSX and Parker's 534 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:27,280 Kitchen for a number of years. 535 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:33,120 And there's many ways in which a corporate partner can work with us, ranging from engaging 536 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:36,520 their employees to sponsorships. 537 00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:41,320 You'll hear later about how they engage with our programs specifically and also how they 538 00:43:41,320 --> 00:43:43,200 engage their customer base. 539 00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:47,880 So we work with a corporate partner in a way that makes sense to them and they help us 540 00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:51,040 further our mission and really amplify our efforts. 541 00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:53,320 Well, I know it's really hard. 542 00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:58,760 As a small nonprofit, sales, you know, working with corporations has always helped us out 543 00:43:58,760 --> 00:43:59,760 greatly. 544 00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:03,680 You know, once they find out what the mission is, it seems like everybody's, oh, this is 545 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:05,800 a great way to help veterans. 546 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:10,040 And you know, just the corporate name is always helpful, I think. 547 00:44:10,040 --> 00:44:11,480 Isn't it for you? 548 00:44:11,480 --> 00:44:12,480 Absolutely. 549 00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:19,440 When a trusted brand such as CSX or Parker's Kitchen aligns with our brand and you see 550 00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:23,760 their name next to Wounded Boyer Project, I think it just goes a long way and it really 551 00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:28,480 instills faith and trust, as you mentioned, within the customers, within warriors in the 552 00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:33,520 community that maybe aren't familiar with Wounded Boyer Project and also with the employees 553 00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:37,760 of those organizations as they get behind the efforts to support us. 554 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:38,760 Right. 555 00:44:38,760 --> 00:44:43,360 It really helps with that credibility that, you know, people, sometimes people are a little 556 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:46,560 cynical out there, but you know, when you get a brand name that says, you know, the 557 00:44:46,560 --> 00:44:51,160 Wounded Warrior Project is a great organization, that's really going to be helpful. 558 00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:54,680 So let me kind of shift over here to Brian. 559 00:44:54,680 --> 00:45:01,720 And Brian is the vice president of stakeholder engagement and sustainability with CSX. 560 00:45:01,720 --> 00:45:06,040 So Brian, how did you get involved with the Wounded Warrior Project and what is it that's 561 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:09,560 helping CSX? 562 00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:14,080 Well at CSX we like to think that service is really part of our DNA. 563 00:45:14,080 --> 00:45:19,840 Every day the 23,000 railroaders of CSX, the men and women of our company are hard at work, 564 00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:23,880 serving America's economy, keeping goods and moving across the country. 565 00:45:23,880 --> 00:45:26,920 But service us really runs even deeper than that. 566 00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:33,520 People are surprised to know that about one in five of our employees is actually a veteran. 567 00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:40,840 And you know, to recognize this, we've taken this commitment to serving those who serve 568 00:45:40,840 --> 00:45:46,040 by partnering with organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project to provide support 569 00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:51,800 and resources to America's heroes, the veterans who've served this country so selflessly. 570 00:45:51,800 --> 00:45:59,360 Well, I know, and how are you utilizing this program with the Wounded Warrior Project? 571 00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:04,120 Well, we engage with the Wounded Warrior Project in a number of ways. 572 00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:07,240 And what's so great about our partnership and what's so great about the Wounded Warrior 573 00:46:07,240 --> 00:46:11,120 Project itself is that they've grown with us. 574 00:46:11,120 --> 00:46:15,000 We've grown our partnership over the years to do a number of things. 575 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:20,320 But one of the things that we're really excited about is the Warriors to Work program, specifically 576 00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:24,840 the drone certification program that we have with the Wounded Warrior Project. 577 00:46:24,840 --> 00:46:29,680 We all know that the veterans often struggle with that transition from service life to 578 00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:31,600 civilian life. 579 00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:37,120 And through the drone certification program, we're able to ease that transition by providing 580 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:44,200 them on the job training with our experts, our equipment, and help actually get them 581 00:46:44,200 --> 00:46:52,080 certified drone as drone pilots through this program, which will help them get employment 582 00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:59,000 either with CSX or another company, and also help them even start their own companies, 583 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:00,400 which we've actually seen. 584 00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:06,360 So we've trained over 50 Warriors over the years that we've done this program, and it's 585 00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:09,960 just been wildly successful in something that we hope grows even more. 586 00:47:09,960 --> 00:47:15,760 Well, I think it's just terrific what you're doing to help these veterans with their transition. 587 00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:20,800 The amazing skills that they learn while they're in the service, many companies don't want 588 00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:26,200 to deal with that transitional part of their, you know, when they get out and the skills 589 00:47:26,200 --> 00:47:27,200 that they're bringing with them. 590 00:47:27,200 --> 00:47:29,400 And it sounds like CSX is doing a great job. 591 00:47:29,400 --> 00:47:31,000 Thank you for doing that. 592 00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:32,520 Well, thank you. 593 00:47:32,520 --> 00:47:35,400 Veterans make the best railroaders, as a fact. 594 00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:40,280 Well, they do know how to follow orders, that's for sure. 595 00:47:40,280 --> 00:47:46,080 So next up is, I've got Olivia Parker, and she's a communications outreach manager for 596 00:47:46,080 --> 00:47:47,600 Parker's Kitchen. 597 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:51,920 So first of all, Olivia, tell us what Parker's Kitchen is, and then tell us how you got involved 598 00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:53,400 with Wounded Warriors. 599 00:47:53,400 --> 00:48:00,640 Yeah, so Parker's Kitchen, we have 90 stores across Georgia, South Carolina, in Florida, 600 00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:07,200 where convenient store chain, family owned and run, you know, with being a big business 601 00:48:07,200 --> 00:48:13,560 across a pretty vast footprint, we really think we have a duty to give back in big ways 602 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:19,360 to our communities that we're in, and the heroes pillar, which is where our partnership 603 00:48:19,360 --> 00:48:21,760 with Wounded Warrior Project came from. 604 00:48:21,760 --> 00:48:26,280 You know, we really wanted to focus on finding the right partner. 605 00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:29,160 And it took us a lot of, you know, looking. 606 00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:34,000 And finally, we started our partnership in March of this year. 607 00:48:34,000 --> 00:48:40,200 Our first kind of step to action with Wounded Warrior Project was doing a roundup campaign. 608 00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:45,600 So our customers were able to round up their transactions to the nearest dollar to give 609 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:47,960 back to the Wounded Warrior Project. 610 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:52,840 And then our foundation is matching 25% of all customer donations. 611 00:48:52,840 --> 00:48:58,800 So I'm thrilled to say that in the first four months, we have been able to donate over $300,000 612 00:48:58,800 --> 00:49:03,840 to Wounded Warrior Project, which will be going back to help empower the lives of veterans 613 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:09,680 and their families within our footprint across Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. 614 00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:10,680 I'm stunned. 615 00:49:10,680 --> 00:49:14,240 I'm listening, $300,000 in a quarter. 616 00:49:14,240 --> 00:49:15,520 That is truly awesome. 617 00:49:15,520 --> 00:49:19,120 What a great opportunity for Wounded Warrior Project and of course for the people that 618 00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:20,120 they helped too. 619 00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:23,840 But what a great way to promote Parker's Kitchen. 620 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:29,240 So I mean, I'm in Michigan, so I'm not that familiar, unfortunately, with your organization. 621 00:49:29,240 --> 00:49:32,920 But I hope that many more people should pick up on this. 622 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:33,920 Yeah, definitely. 623 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:39,320 I think, you know, I think our customers are always kind of looking and customers just 624 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:44,480 around the country are looking to big brands like ourselves to really figure out, you know, 625 00:49:44,480 --> 00:49:48,440 who are the right people to really volunteer and give back to. 626 00:49:48,440 --> 00:49:53,760 And we just really want to help, you know, get our customers ingrained in giving and 627 00:49:53,760 --> 00:49:55,800 kind of having this camaraderie approach. 628 00:49:55,800 --> 00:50:00,600 And, you know, us as the brand really making sure that we have a good duty of spreading 629 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:05,600 awareness on who Wounded Warrior Project is and helping people realize exactly all of 630 00:50:05,600 --> 00:50:10,200 the programs that they offer and how they, you know, really help rehabilitate the lives 631 00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:13,920 of service members, you know, when they do come back. 632 00:50:13,920 --> 00:50:18,240 I think it's just an amazing mission and there's so many great organizations out there. 633 00:50:18,240 --> 00:50:22,760 But, you know, the success of our campaign is just a testament to the organization Wounded 634 00:50:22,760 --> 00:50:23,760 Warrior Project. 635 00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:28,080 People really want to get involved and give back because they are just that great and 636 00:50:28,080 --> 00:50:31,240 they do so much for local veterans and their families. 637 00:50:31,240 --> 00:50:33,680 Well, I think that's that's the kind of the great idea. 638 00:50:33,680 --> 00:50:35,880 So I'm going to come back up to you, Brianna. 639 00:50:35,880 --> 00:50:40,600 So how would, if I were a corporate, which I'm not, but if I were a corporation owner, 640 00:50:40,600 --> 00:50:43,560 how would I get involved with the Wounded Warrior Project? 641 00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:44,560 Sure. 642 00:50:44,560 --> 00:50:46,560 It's a really easy step. 643 00:50:46,560 --> 00:50:52,360 Just go to WoundedWoyearProject.org and you'll find an area called Ways to Give. 644 00:50:52,360 --> 00:50:56,760 And whether you're a company or an individual looking to help support the mission, right 645 00:50:56,760 --> 00:50:59,520 there you'll find a way to connect with us. 646 00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:02,760 And I would say that's the same for warriors and family members as well. 647 00:51:02,760 --> 00:51:06,920 They can find all of our programs and services listed there in ways that they can engage 648 00:51:06,920 --> 00:51:07,920 with us. 649 00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:13,160 Well, it's, it sounds like, I mean, it's an additionally great project that you are 650 00:51:13,160 --> 00:51:19,880 doing to, you know, spread the word that, you know, so many people are not aware that 651 00:51:19,880 --> 00:51:24,760 veterans have some issues sometimes when they're transitioning out of the military into civilian 652 00:51:24,760 --> 00:51:25,760 life. 653 00:51:25,760 --> 00:51:28,800 And the Wounded Warrior has been around for quite a while now. 654 00:51:28,800 --> 00:51:32,880 And a reputation is great. 655 00:51:32,880 --> 00:51:37,920 And I really encourage our audience to go to the Wounded Warrior's Project and find 656 00:51:37,920 --> 00:51:42,520 out how you can become involved, not only on the corporate level, but on the individual 657 00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:43,520 level. 658 00:51:43,520 --> 00:51:48,200 And of course, there's so many services there that are available to the veteran and their 659 00:51:48,200 --> 00:51:49,200 families. 660 00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:53,680 So I would really encourage people to go to Wounded Warrior Project to see how you can 661 00:51:53,680 --> 00:51:57,160 help each other and maybe they'll be able to help you too. 662 00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:01,320 Is there anything else that any of you would like to add? 663 00:52:01,320 --> 00:52:03,080 I would just echo that sentiment. 664 00:52:03,080 --> 00:52:09,240 I mean, we've partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project now for over six years and they're 665 00:52:09,240 --> 00:52:11,640 a tremendous, tremendous partner. 666 00:52:11,640 --> 00:52:16,840 They're doing great work in the community addressing so many needs of people who are 667 00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:18,960 very deserving. 668 00:52:18,960 --> 00:52:20,960 Okay. 669 00:52:20,960 --> 00:52:23,680 Olivia, last word. 670 00:52:23,680 --> 00:52:24,680 Yeah. 671 00:52:24,680 --> 00:52:29,720 I just, I want to encourage people to get out there and give back. 672 00:52:29,720 --> 00:52:32,400 Sometimes you feel like you need to give in a monetary form. 673 00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:36,520 There's so many ways to volunteer through this organization as well. 674 00:52:36,520 --> 00:52:40,200 So just taking that first step is probably the best thing to do. 675 00:52:40,200 --> 00:52:43,760 And I really encourage everybody to look more into the Wounded Warrior Project. 676 00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:45,400 Yeah, check it out. 677 00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:48,480 Brea, last word from you. 678 00:52:48,480 --> 00:52:54,640 I think as we're coming up on National Nonprofit Day, it's really an opportunity for individual 679 00:52:54,640 --> 00:52:58,680 individuals, companies, and everyone to take a look at what they're currently doing and 680 00:52:58,680 --> 00:53:03,520 if there is an opportunity or an area of interest in which they can step forward and help make 681 00:53:03,520 --> 00:53:04,520 a difference. 682 00:53:04,520 --> 00:53:07,000 There's a lot of people out there with a lot of needs. 683 00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:10,240 And I know that there's many people that are willing to step up. 684 00:53:10,240 --> 00:53:14,700 And so I would just encourage everyone to do that, especially as we walk into National 685 00:53:14,700 --> 00:53:16,200 Nonprofit Day. 686 00:53:16,200 --> 00:53:17,200 Okay. 687 00:53:17,200 --> 00:53:21,640 Thank you all very much for joining us here on Veterans Radio and helping us to spread 688 00:53:21,640 --> 00:53:26,040 the word for you for the Wounded Warrior Project and our corporate giving plans. 689 00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:27,040 So thank you very much. 690 00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:31,920 I look forward to talking to all of you at some time again in the future. 691 00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:36,280 And we're back here live on Veterans Radio coming up on the end of another program. 692 00:53:36,280 --> 00:53:38,920 And I have to remind you to save the date. 693 00:53:38,920 --> 00:53:39,920 Save the date. 694 00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:44,120 September 22nd is our third annual radio on the river. 695 00:53:44,120 --> 00:53:45,120 And this is our fundraiser. 696 00:53:45,120 --> 00:53:49,080 And I encourage you to come on out for that to find out more information. 697 00:53:49,080 --> 00:53:53,960 Just go to our website, veteransradio.org, down near the bottom of that front page. 698 00:53:53,960 --> 00:53:55,960 There's a really nice river view. 699 00:53:55,960 --> 00:54:00,480 And all you got to do is click on that and all the information is there for you. 700 00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:03,720 We're also, you know, we've got a couple of guests there. 701 00:54:03,720 --> 00:54:05,120 Number one is going to be Doug Bready. 702 00:54:05,120 --> 00:54:06,120 We got to go. 703 00:54:06,120 --> 00:54:10,240 So today's God Bless America is Martina McBride. 704 00:54:10,240 --> 00:54:12,200 Until next week, this is Dale Throneberry. 705 00:54:12,200 --> 00:54:19,200 All of us here at Veterans Radio, you are dismissed. 706 00:55:12,200 --> 00:55:19,200 Thank you. 707 00:55:42,200 --> 00:55:49,200 Thank you. 708 00:56:12,200 --> 00:56:22,200 Thank you. 709 00:56:42,200 --> 00:56:52,200 Thank you.