WEBVTT 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:18.120 From the studios of Ave Maria radio in Ann Arbor, 00:00:18.140 --> 00:00:21.460 this is veterans radio and now here's your host 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:28.019 Dale Throneberry Good morning and welcome to 00:00:28.019 --> 00:00:29.940 veterans radio My name is Dale Throneberry and 00:00:29.940 --> 00:00:32.079 I'll be your host this morning and joining me 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:34.840 in the studio is my cohort in crime Bob Gould. 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:38.200 Good morning, Bob Oh boy. Oh boy. He's ready 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:40.820 to go. It's early in the morning here on the 00:00:40.820 --> 00:00:44.280 west coast or even more or less awake than we 00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:46.880 are. That opened their eyes. Well, it opened 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.420 mine. Thank you very much. I needed that. That 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:53.390 could have been the onion bagel, too. Anyway, 00:00:53.770 --> 00:00:55.890 today we're really excited about the program 00:00:55.890 --> 00:00:57.409 that I've got going on today. We're going to 00:00:57.409 --> 00:01:00.090 be talking about Dwight Eisenhower, one of my 00:01:00.090 --> 00:01:03.810 personal heroes, and we've got an author of a 00:01:03.810 --> 00:01:06.310 new biography. John Wolkovitz is going to be 00:01:06.310 --> 00:01:09.269 on, and also we've got Dan Holt, who is the director 00:01:09.269 --> 00:01:11.549 of the Eisenhower Library and Museum. We'll be 00:01:11.549 --> 00:01:14.390 on in a little while. And we're going to be talking 00:01:14.390 --> 00:01:17.269 about Ike. And everybody liked Ike when we were 00:01:17.269 --> 00:01:18.709 growing up, and all of us that are in this studio. 00:01:18.709 --> 00:01:20.909 That was a great slogan, wasn't it? Well, it 00:01:20.909 --> 00:01:23.790 worked. It's funny, I sent out the flyer for 00:01:23.790 --> 00:01:27.530 the program. I got an email from a veteran from 00:01:27.530 --> 00:01:30.890 Jackson. And he said that, you know, I met Ike 00:01:30.890 --> 00:01:33.790 in 1952 when he was campaigning in Jackson. And 00:01:33.790 --> 00:01:36.989 he says, my wife, current wife, she shook hands 00:01:36.989 --> 00:01:39.430 with him. And they were so excited by that because 00:01:39.430 --> 00:01:41.450 he said he was six or seven years old. And he 00:01:41.450 --> 00:01:44.129 said he had a little pin at the time that you 00:01:44.129 --> 00:01:46.370 would press and it would say, you know, you'd 00:01:46.370 --> 00:01:49.849 press it and go, I like Ike. And it was very 00:01:49.849 --> 00:01:52.540 effective. I think that was the first presidential 00:01:52.540 --> 00:01:56.620 campaign that had real marketing uh... with the 00:01:56.620 --> 00:01:59.900 uh... with the emphasis on uh... i like i can 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.019 tell you that i mean actually have a theme was 00:02:02.019 --> 00:02:03.640 one of the first ones with slogans but i mean 00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:06.780 you go back to you can go back almost all right 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:09.199 right right little pin but this was a bit of 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:11.400 they had television they didn't have it back 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.469 in the forties Eisenhower was the first real 00:02:14.469 --> 00:02:16.789 TV president. I mean, you know, and all the photography 00:02:16.789 --> 00:02:18.289 and this stuff of Stevenson with the shoe with 00:02:18.289 --> 00:02:19.789 the hole in it and all these other things that 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.110 were out there at the time. Oh, that wasn't contrived, 00:02:22.150 --> 00:02:23.729 of course not. Oh, no, no, no, no. I didn't say 00:02:23.729 --> 00:02:26.150 that. He was on the road all the time. But anyway, 00:02:26.310 --> 00:02:29.210 so we're going to be having John and Dan. Dan 00:02:29.210 --> 00:02:31.969 will be on in about five or six minutes. But 00:02:31.969 --> 00:02:33.969 first, we're going to go to the news. And Bob, 00:02:34.270 --> 00:02:36.669 it's all in your court. Thank you, Dale. Welcome 00:02:36.669 --> 00:02:40.219 to Veterans Radio News. The VA is searching for 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:44.919 lost soldiers from World War I, with only four 00:02:44.919 --> 00:02:47.520 living American veterans of World War I currently 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:49.960 known. The Department of Veterans Affairs, of 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:53.199 course, that's the VA, is seeking public assistance 00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:55.840 in determining whether others are still around, 00:02:55.939 --> 00:02:59.560 still alive. To qualify as a World War I veteran, 00:03:00.139 --> 00:03:02.159 someone must have been on active duty between 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:09.169 April 6, 1917, and November 11, 19... 18 if you 00:03:09.169 --> 00:03:11.530 happen to know of someone or even think of someone 00:03:11.530 --> 00:03:14.669 that might be that have them contact the local 00:03:14.669 --> 00:03:18.289 VA In fact, they just had they the oldest living 00:03:18.289 --> 00:03:20.889 woman veteran just died from World War one I 00:03:20.889 --> 00:03:23.789 believe she was 108 and They didn't even really 00:03:23.789 --> 00:03:25.930 know she was a veteran of World War one up until 00:03:25.930 --> 00:03:30.110 just shortly before she died So was she in the 00:03:30.110 --> 00:03:34.090 army? She was a whack. Oh, okay, you know ambulance 00:03:34.090 --> 00:03:37.289 driver, right? Right. Yeah, okay An organization 00:03:37.289 --> 00:03:41.189 provides troops prepaid calling cards. TNT announced 00:03:41.189 --> 00:03:43.310 last week that it's providing the non -profit 00:03:43.310 --> 00:03:46.629 organization Cell Phones for Soldiers with 10 00:03:46.629 --> 00:03:49.629 ,000 prepaid calling cards. That's valued at 00:03:49.629 --> 00:03:53.650 nearly $270 ,000. For those who would like to 00:03:53.650 --> 00:03:56.719 donate a cell phone, This company has designated 00:03:56.719 --> 00:04:01.479 singular stores in all cities as drop -off points 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:05.240 or for more information at singular stores. If 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:07.840 you have a cell phone that you want to donate, 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:11.659 contact the singular cellular phone company. 00:04:12.979 --> 00:04:16.740 The group collects cell phones for soldiers and 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:19.620 recycles them for cash. The cash is then used 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:22.860 to buy prepaid calling cards for servicemen. 00:04:23.060 --> 00:04:27.360 What a great, that's terrific. Right, so that 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:30.399 they can call home. Right, exactly. That's great 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:32.240 that they're able to call home. Call home, mm 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:36.040 -hmm. That keeps morale up. Indiana license plates, 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.779 aids, troops, families. The state of Indiana 00:04:38.779 --> 00:04:41.459 has delivered its first payment to the new Indiana 00:04:41.459 --> 00:04:46.189 Military Family Relief Fund. Fund makes two thousand 00:04:46.189 --> 00:04:48.509 dollar grants available to eligible families 00:04:48.509 --> 00:04:51.490 of Indiana soldiers who have been called to active 00:04:51.490 --> 00:04:54.829 duty. Grants are financed by the sale of two 00:04:54.829 --> 00:05:00.079 specialty license plates. That's 20 bucks for 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:02.660 each one. I believe that's in lieu of the regular 00:05:02.660 --> 00:05:05.180 rights, like a little... And it says on there, 00:05:05.379 --> 00:05:08.899 support our troops. And there is another one 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:13.300 for $15 called Hoosier Veteran. Those are tags 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:15.120 that are going on their license plates. Hoosier. 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:18.399 What did I say? Hoosier. Well, I'm not from there. 00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:20.800 Who's from Indiana? I'm from Michigan. Yeah, 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:24.470 right. We say what? Okay. One requirement for 00:05:24.470 --> 00:05:26.470 the award is that servicemen must have suffered 00:05:26.470 --> 00:05:29.810 a loss in pay, have incurred a significant increase 00:05:29.810 --> 00:05:32.490 in the necessities of daily living, or have suffered 00:05:32.490 --> 00:05:35.209 a significant emergency that warrants financial 00:05:35.209 --> 00:05:38.209 assistance. Real quick, the Predator drone is 00:05:38.209 --> 00:05:41.810 phased out for a new well -armed craft. What 00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:43.850 do you know about that, Dale? Right, yeah, the 00:05:43.850 --> 00:05:45.819 Predator that everybody knows is... being used 00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:48.800 in Afghanistan and Iraq right now is not necessarily 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:50.879 being phased out, but there's a new additional 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:52.759 member of the family and it's called the Reaper. 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:56.500 And the Reaper can fly higher, faster, longer, 00:05:56.779 --> 00:06:00.060 and it can carry a 3 ,000 pound payload. And 00:06:00.060 --> 00:06:03.240 so, you know, there's an issue. I think it has 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.399 Hell Flyer missiles on it too. I don't know, 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:08.519 but we'll find out next time. Now we're going 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:11.620 to go into our Welcome Home segment. Okay, welcome 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:14.459 home each week on veterans radio We welcome home 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:15.939 servicemen and women who have been stationed 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:19.079 around the world in the service of our country 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:21.720 Welcome home segment is sponsored by the marine 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:24.980 scholars program of Ave Maria University You 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:29.819 can visit them online at Ave Maria dot edu or 00:06:29.819 --> 00:06:34.300 call Aaron Flatterty Flaherty, yeah, that's a 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:36.819 good Irish name assistant director of admissions 00:06:36.819 --> 00:06:48.259 at 239 280 239 -280 -2552. Soldiers from the 00:06:48.259 --> 00:06:52.399 Alpha 163rd Support Battalion of the 218th Enhanced 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:55.180 Separate Brigade National Guard Unit returned 00:06:55.180 --> 00:06:58.720 home from training at the Waterboro National 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:02.060 Guard Armory in Waterboro, South Carolina. They 00:07:02.060 --> 00:07:05.620 will be deployed to Afghanistan. Nearly a hundred 00:07:05.620 --> 00:07:07.920 friends and family welcomed home Army soldier 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:11.759 Travis Frayburn in Saugus, California last Saturday. 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:14.620 He sustained a concussion from a roadside bomb 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:18.680 near Mosul, Iraq. Bless you, Travis. A welcome 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:22.420 home warrior citizen program was held for 51 00:07:22.420 --> 00:07:26.680 Army Reserve officers and soldiers on April 14 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:31.759 in Conroe, Texas. A solemn note, there was a 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:35.579 ceremony held on Wednesday, April 18th at CFB 00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:39.939 Trenton, Ontario, Canada. As the remains of six 00:07:39.939 --> 00:07:43.160 soldiers are returned home, the men were killed 00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:46.060 when a roadside bomb struck the vehicle west 00:07:46.060 --> 00:07:50.500 of Kandahar. We at Veterans Radio salute our 00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:53.939 fallen brothers that are from our northern neighbor. 00:07:54.890 --> 00:07:56.370 That's it. Thank you very much. You're welcome. 00:07:56.529 --> 00:07:58.269 And we'll be back right after these messages. 00:07:58.589 --> 00:08:01.269 And we are back on Veterans Radio and we're going 00:08:01.269 --> 00:08:02.949 to be talking with our guests here in just a 00:08:02.949 --> 00:08:05.930 moment, the author of Eisenhower, a biography, 00:08:06.050 --> 00:08:07.689 part of the Great General series, and that's 00:08:07.689 --> 00:08:10.029 John Wolkovitz. The forward is done by General 00:08:10.029 --> 00:08:12.930 Wesley Clark. And I'm hoping that John is on 00:08:12.930 --> 00:08:15.329 the line. And John, welcome to Veterans Radio. 00:08:17.689 --> 00:08:19.689 No, he's not in the line right this second. So 00:08:19.689 --> 00:08:21.370 we'll just talk about Ike a little bit. Let's 00:08:21.370 --> 00:08:25.129 talk about Ike All right. Well, he had to be 00:08:25.129 --> 00:08:28.430 a politician first Before he was a general he 00:08:28.430 --> 00:08:30.449 had to prove that he could that he could work 00:08:30.449 --> 00:08:32.409 with politics that that really what this was 00:08:32.409 --> 00:08:35.649 all about I think the issue yeah, well because 00:08:35.649 --> 00:08:39.070 there was so many egos and Okay. Now we've got 00:08:39.070 --> 00:08:42.230 John. Oh, we do. Okay, and John walk of its welcome 00:08:42.230 --> 00:08:52.220 to veterans radio Not yet John Okay We'll keep 00:08:52.220 --> 00:08:53.700 on going here and all they're pressing buttons 00:08:53.700 --> 00:08:56.019 all over the place in there in the control room 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:57.860 So we'll be we'll talking with John in just a 00:08:57.860 --> 00:09:04.279 moment. I hope John you there I Don't hear John 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:08.419 But well, you know meantime Eisenhower had to 00:09:08.419 --> 00:09:10.879 be the man of the hour Well, he had to, based 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:12.700 on the timing of everything. I mean, he was born 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:14.679 out in the middle of Kansas. Actually born in 00:09:14.679 --> 00:09:17.960 Texas. You couldn't have wrote a better description 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:23.399 of an American hero. Midwest values? Well, the 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:25.019 thing that I've always found interesting about 00:09:25.019 --> 00:09:30.399 Eisenhower was that he wasn't the most intelligent 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:33.279 person out there, as far as military was concerned. 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:36.259 He spent a lot of time being an underling to 00:09:36.259 --> 00:09:39.960 famous people. I mean, like MacArthur and Marshall 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:42.440 and some of the other generals that were there. 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:45.259 And when he went to West Point, the only reason 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:46.919 he went to West Point was because it was free, 00:09:47.480 --> 00:09:51.080 and his only opportunity he had to go to college. 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:53.679 Plus, at that point, West Point was a big football 00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:56.600 school, and he was a big football player, a big, 00:09:56.899 --> 00:09:59.039 excellent athlete in all sports. And so he went 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:01.179 there, but I think it was the first week or two 00:10:01.179 --> 00:10:05.120 at West Point, he blew his knee out. And so he 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:06.820 was done. And he didn't graduate at the top of 00:10:06.820 --> 00:10:08.279 his class and he didn't graduate at the bottom 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:10.440 of his class. He was just, you know, one of the 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:12.820 things about Eisenhower that I've always admired 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:14.940 was that he seemed like a grandfather to our 00:10:14.940 --> 00:10:17.879 generation. And he seemed like just a good old 00:10:17.879 --> 00:10:22.879 boy. And he worked hard. He stayed in the military 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:25.279 during, after World War I. He didn't get to go 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.639 to... Combat in World War one. He was a trainer 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:30.940 and an organizer and logistics and all those 00:10:30.940 --> 00:10:32.860 other things and those were his real skills I 00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:34.820 think that's why he was picked for a normal. 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:38.340 I think eventually he was Can we try now? Okay, 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:43.799 Johnny there? It's anybody there Yeah, Dan still 00:10:43.799 --> 00:10:45.740 here. Hi, Dan. I'll talk to you then while we're 00:10:45.740 --> 00:10:47.779 waiting for the other call. How are you Dan? 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:50.779 All right Right now we're talking with Dan Holt 00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:53.000 who is the director of the Eisenhower Library 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:57.000 and Museum out in where are you? Abilene, Kansas. 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:59.159 You're in Abilene, Kansas. That's right. I've 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:01.759 been there. Yes. Actually, you know, Abilene, 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:04.940 Texas is named for Abilene, Kansas. Well, you 00:11:04.940 --> 00:11:06.460 know, somebody had to go through Kansas to get 00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:09.179 to Texas, I guess. That's right. Well, I want 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:11.200 to welcome you to Veterans Radio, and I apologize 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:13.000 for the technical problems, but we'll get those 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:15.759 squared away. What can you tell me about it? 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:17.679 You heard us talking probably a little bit about 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:22.340 what we know. Well, I didn't hear very much I 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:24.139 think it's important with Eisenhower and everybody 00:11:24.139 --> 00:11:25.960 overlooks that you have to stutter the interwar 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:28.200 years, right? We were World War one of World 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:32.019 War two. That's that's because actually Eisenhower 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:34.840 When he was with the assistant secretary of war 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:38.059 the chief of staff in the Philippines is the 00:11:38.059 --> 00:11:40.659 most important formative period of his career 00:11:40.659 --> 00:11:44.340 You know things like he was already writing about 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:47.519 the military industrial complex in 1930 All right, 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:49.799 yeah, I do understand. The War Policies Commission. 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:54.659 That plus he was involved with the groups, quote 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:58.080 unquote, within the military that was rewriting 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:01.419 the structure of the military, especially in 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:06.320 mobilization in case of war and the outlooks 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:09.059 on training. And Eisenhower was what some people 00:12:09.059 --> 00:12:15.019 now classify as the... intelligentsia in that 00:12:15.019 --> 00:12:18.080 time period because people were just training 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:21.840 for exercises, not training for real war. Eisenhower 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:23.799 understood that, but the Philippines is the most 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:27.240 important period pre -World War II. You know, 00:12:27.240 --> 00:12:32.659 he had to build an army from scratch. The administration, 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:35.419 Roosevelt administration, really didn't care 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:37.799 if we got a defense force built in the Philippines. 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:41.460 And he was sitting out there with a very difficult 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:45.350 MacArthur. and having to beg for arms, ammunition. 00:12:47.210 --> 00:12:49.570 He was responsible for everything. He even designed 00:12:49.570 --> 00:12:54.970 the barracks. He wrote all the military laws 00:12:54.970 --> 00:13:00.090 for the Philippine Army with one assistant. And 00:13:00.090 --> 00:13:02.690 it's a remarkable, remarkable job he did. It's 00:13:02.690 --> 00:13:04.710 just too often overlooked. Yeah, I think that's 00:13:04.710 --> 00:13:06.490 very important. Joining us on the line right 00:13:06.490 --> 00:13:08.470 now, hopefully, is John Wolkovitz. John, are 00:13:08.470 --> 00:13:10.679 you there? Yes, I am. Good morning. Hi John, 00:13:10.700 --> 00:13:13.419 welcome to veterans radio and thank you for having 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:16.460 me on it's it's our pleasure and as you can hear 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:18.419 We're kind of starting to talk a little bit about 00:13:18.419 --> 00:13:20.659 Eisenhower with with Dan Holt director of the 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:22.740 Eisenhower Library and Museum I don't know if 00:13:22.740 --> 00:13:24.799 you know each know each other, but good morning 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:28.480 to both of you. Oh good morning So John tell 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.440 me I didn't get a chance to do my formal introduction 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:34.000 of you But you are a very very prolific writer 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:37.480 and not only is military history one of your 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:44.549 hobbies, but also sports Western heroes Everything 00:13:44.549 --> 00:13:47.029 that I like I got to meet you in person. Yeah, 00:13:47.029 --> 00:13:49.769 it's it's been fun You know I started out my 00:13:49.769 --> 00:13:52.389 writing career doing magazine articles newspaper 00:13:52.389 --> 00:13:55.210 articles kinds of things So you get into all 00:13:55.210 --> 00:13:59.210 sorts of topics I grew up loving golf and so 00:13:59.210 --> 00:14:02.610 I still do a little bit of golf writing But the 00:14:02.610 --> 00:14:07.559 the focus is now World War two. I've loved reading 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:10.799 and writing about World War II. Reading it since 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:14.080 the time I was probably fifth or sixth grade, 00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:16.659 I picked up a book on the battle of the Coral 00:14:16.659 --> 00:14:22.639 Sea. And so my focus is 98 % on World War II. 00:14:23.779 --> 00:14:26.480 And thus I have the books on the battles of Wake 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:29.820 Island and Tarawa and Eisenhower and Admiral 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:32.580 Clifton's break. I saw that. I was going to ask 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:34.700 you how you got involved with the Eisenhower 00:14:34.700 --> 00:14:38.259 or actually the Great General series. Well the 00:14:38.259 --> 00:14:41.399 publisher contacted me because they'd seen some 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:44.879 of my other books and just asked if I'd be interested 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:48.600 in writing one and I said sure. It's not every 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:53.179 day that a publisher comes calling and I heard 00:14:53.179 --> 00:14:55.620 who was involved in it with General Wesley Clark 00:14:55.620 --> 00:14:58.450 and some of the other authors and I thought Well, 00:14:58.470 --> 00:15:01.350 this is a neat little series. By little, I mean 00:15:01.350 --> 00:15:04.769 the size of the books, or maybe half the size 00:15:04.769 --> 00:15:09.409 of my normal World War II books, which are maybe 00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:14.570 300 pages. Eisenhower's 150 to 200 pages. And 00:15:14.570 --> 00:15:18.330 they wanted us, instead of going through Eisenhower's 00:15:18.330 --> 00:15:21.330 career in an extensive fashion, they wanted us 00:15:21.330 --> 00:15:24.889 to focus on just his military career and to draw 00:15:24.889 --> 00:15:27.679 lessons in leadership. that anybody could use, 00:15:27.779 --> 00:15:30.279 you know, how to handle a business, how to handle 00:15:30.279 --> 00:15:33.399 a classroom, that kind of a thing. Well, I think 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:36.940 it's a great book, as John's pointing out. It's 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:38.740 not a big book. It kind of reminds me of those 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:41.100 old sports hero books that you used to read in 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:43.100 the library, like Lou Gehrig, you know, Iron 00:15:43.100 --> 00:15:45.220 Man, and things that was about 150 pages. They 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:48.440 were orange. I remember them specifically. But 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:50.940 tell us a little bit about Eisenhower. Tell us 00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:53.480 about his upbringing that kind of led him to 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:55.580 the military. Could you do that for us? Sure, 00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:00.740 his young days were pretty much, as I read about 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:02.460 him, I thought, well, you know, a lot like my 00:16:02.460 --> 00:16:07.080 own. He loved sports. He had his childhood heroes. 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:10.779 One of them was Honest Wagner, the great baseball 00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:14.840 player. Most of them were military and Western 00:16:14.840 --> 00:16:17.379 figures, because he lived out West, obviously. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:23.860 He especially admired Tom Smith, the marshal 00:16:23.860 --> 00:16:27.480 of Abilene, Kansas, would go out and visit his 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:31.360 gravesite. So he roamed the fields with his brothers 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:35.419 and was quite popular in school. He wound up 00:16:35.419 --> 00:16:39.159 at West Point not because he had this great dream 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:43.620 of being a huge military figure, but for two 00:16:43.620 --> 00:16:47.299 reasons. It was a free education, and the taxpayers 00:16:47.299 --> 00:16:49.809 were footing the bill. And secondly, he wanted 00:16:49.809 --> 00:16:53.070 to play football. He loved football. That was 00:16:53.070 --> 00:16:56.070 his passion early in life. The fact that it was 00:16:56.070 --> 00:16:58.649 at West Point was secondary. He got his free 00:16:58.649 --> 00:17:00.769 education and he had the chance to play football. 00:17:01.730 --> 00:17:03.330 But unfortunately, his football career ended 00:17:03.330 --> 00:17:07.710 quickly. Yeah, he had a string of injuries. He 00:17:07.710 --> 00:17:12.289 overcame a couple of them, one when he was still 00:17:12.289 --> 00:17:16.019 back in Kansas. He had a knee injury and sort 00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:18.299 of fell into a coma, and the doctor was examining 00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:21.220 him, and he told the family they might have to 00:17:21.220 --> 00:17:24.380 amputate the knee or the leg. And Eisenhower 00:17:24.380 --> 00:17:26.400 heard that. Well, when everyone left the room, 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:30.619 he back into his brother and said, I want you 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:33.099 to promise me you will not let them take my leg. 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:37.400 I can't go on if I can't play football. And so 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:41.289 they did not, obviously. But then in West Point 00:17:41.289 --> 00:17:43.470 he suffered some more injuries and had to leave 00:17:43.470 --> 00:17:47.769 football. Walked the campus sort of depressed 00:17:47.769 --> 00:17:50.430 about it and students started calling him gloomy 00:17:50.430 --> 00:17:55.009 face. He didn't turn his full attention to studies 00:17:55.009 --> 00:17:58.269 at all. I mean when he graduated it was a very 00:17:58.269 --> 00:18:04.549 unremarkable record that he amassed. For instance 00:18:04.549 --> 00:18:08.650 in academics he was sort of right smack in the 00:18:08.650 --> 00:18:11.750 middle. and discipline out of his class, he was 00:18:11.750 --> 00:18:14.990 right near the bottom of it. So he really wasn't 00:18:14.990 --> 00:18:17.950 one who applied himself yet. I taught for 30 00:18:17.950 --> 00:18:21.509 years in eighth grade. Oh, you deserve a medal 00:18:21.509 --> 00:18:25.349 just for that. I did that for six years myself. 00:18:25.509 --> 00:18:28.210 I know, that's what everyone says, oh boy, what 00:18:28.210 --> 00:18:30.869 about the jungle that you were in. But you know, 00:18:30.930 --> 00:18:34.349 if you enjoy that age group, and I did, you have 00:18:34.349 --> 00:18:37.329 a blast. You know, I look at teachers who teach 00:18:37.390 --> 00:18:40.230 first graders, and I think, whoa, man, I could 00:18:40.230 --> 00:18:43.529 never handle that. But if you enjoy your area, 00:18:43.630 --> 00:18:47.589 your age group, you'll have a lot of fun. And 00:18:47.589 --> 00:18:50.230 I would, every once in a while, have a student 00:18:50.230 --> 00:18:53.250 that I would look at, and the student would receive 00:18:53.250 --> 00:18:55.990 maybe a C or a B minus, and I'd be thinking, 00:18:56.430 --> 00:18:59.450 you know, you're so smart. I know you just seem 00:18:59.450 --> 00:19:02.410 to be biding your time until the challenges start 00:19:02.410 --> 00:19:05.720 to roll at you. And that was Eisenhower. The 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:08.359 challenges had not yet occurred. It was football. 00:19:08.740 --> 00:19:10.660 Now that that's gone, he had to find something 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:13.920 else. And eventually he found it when he got 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:16.460 it going on his military career. Well, we're 00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:18.599 talking with John Wolkovitz, the author of a 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:20.519 new biography called Eisenhower. It's not that 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:23.160 new anymore. It came out last fall, I believe. 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.599 Yeah, November. Last November. And also joining 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:29.819 us is Dan Holt, who is the director of the Eisenhower 00:19:29.819 --> 00:19:33.180 Library and Museum. Can either one of you tell 00:19:33.180 --> 00:19:36.099 us a little bit about after he graduated from 00:19:36.099 --> 00:19:38.119 West Point in what, about 1918 somewhere in that 00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:40.299 neighborhood or earlier than that? No, it was 00:19:40.299 --> 00:19:47.359 1916. 15. 15, 1915. Okay, and then he didn't 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:50.160 get to participate in World War I overseas, did 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:56.039 he? No, he was one of those where, and this was 00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:59.940 maybe the first challenge in his military career 00:19:59.940 --> 00:20:04.109 that he missed out on combat quite often uh... 00:20:04.109 --> 00:20:08.069 he in world war one he had uh... a few opportunities 00:20:08.069 --> 00:20:10.990 where he thought he would but uh... he was always 00:20:10.990 --> 00:20:15.670 assigned to a training post uh... he'd even uh... 00:20:15.670 --> 00:20:17.670 participated with the three hundred first tank 00:20:17.670 --> 00:20:20.509 battalion for instance and the superiors had 00:20:20.509 --> 00:20:22.670 sort of uh... promise that that battalion would 00:20:22.670 --> 00:20:25.190 go overseas and fighting and it did but they 00:20:25.190 --> 00:20:28.049 kept him back home uh... to do some more training 00:20:28.049 --> 00:20:33.789 and then in uh... late nineteen They said, well, 00:20:34.210 --> 00:20:36.190 in the spring of 1919, we're going to have a 00:20:36.190 --> 00:20:38.210 new offensive, and you'll be part of that. Of 00:20:38.210 --> 00:20:40.789 course, the war ended before that happened. So 00:20:40.789 --> 00:20:44.549 he looked back on that as sort of one of the 00:20:44.549 --> 00:20:49.230 down times of his military career. But like everyone 00:20:49.230 --> 00:20:53.769 who succeeds, you sort of take obstacles and 00:20:53.769 --> 00:20:57.140 turn them into opportunities. And this is where 00:20:57.140 --> 00:21:00.420 now these challenges started to come his way. 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:02.420 And he started to look at his military career 00:21:02.420 --> 00:21:05.819 in a more serious manner. And he decided, hey, 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:09.460 maybe I didn't do that well at West Point. Maybe 00:21:09.460 --> 00:21:11.579 they saw that. I'm going to start working harder 00:21:11.579 --> 00:21:15.700 now. And by God, I'll make something out of myself. 00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:18.160 And of course, it eventually did happen that 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:22.859 way. So tell us a little bit about his experiences 00:21:22.859 --> 00:21:27.609 with MacArthur. Once he once he went from at 00:21:27.609 --> 00:21:29.769 the end of World War one, how soon did he go 00:21:29.769 --> 00:21:32.630 to the Philippines with MacArthur? Okay, is this 00:21:32.630 --> 00:21:36.170 for me or Dan? Either one can jump in then I'll 00:21:36.170 --> 00:21:39.170 go to Dan this time I'm gonna have to get to 00:21:39.170 --> 00:21:41.869 another phone. I think my Battery's getting low 00:21:41.869 --> 00:21:43.829 be right back. Okay. Thank you. All right, then 00:21:43.829 --> 00:21:46.009 John. I'll give it to you Yeah, I'll take well 00:21:46.009 --> 00:21:48.950 he has he had many experiences with MacArthur 00:21:48.950 --> 00:21:51.630 before the Philippines even he worked with him 00:21:51.630 --> 00:21:55.690 in the early 1930s in Washington D .C. You got 00:21:55.690 --> 00:21:59.910 me? Yes, thank you. Yeah, go ahead. As I said 00:21:59.910 --> 00:22:02.349 just before John came on the air, that if you 00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:04.390 don't study the interwar period of Eisenhower, 00:22:04.509 --> 00:22:06.089 you don't understand Eisenhower in World War 00:22:06.089 --> 00:22:10.990 II. And as I mentioned, the Philippines is probably 00:22:10.990 --> 00:22:14.869 the most important training he had. One anecdote, 00:22:15.190 --> 00:22:17.069 one of the injuries he had to his leg at West 00:22:17.069 --> 00:22:19.369 Point that got him out of football was dismounting 00:22:19.369 --> 00:22:22.630 his horse, which everybody gets a kick out of. 00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:27.680 But on the other side of that, Eisenhower didn't 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:30.380 quit. He didn't mope around. He became cheerleader. 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:33.619 So here's a man who had lost the one love he 00:22:33.619 --> 00:22:35.380 had, but he turned right around and helped support 00:22:35.380 --> 00:22:37.640 the team. So just only anecdotes about his character. 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:40.920 But when you look at his work with the War Policies 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:43.700 Commission, writing everything almost for the 00:22:43.700 --> 00:22:45.579 Secretary of War and Assistant Secretary of War 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:48.980 speeches, and the revamping of the Army during 00:22:48.980 --> 00:22:51.180 that time period, and then facing MacArthur in 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:54.329 the Philippines. where he built, actually built 00:22:54.329 --> 00:22:57.390 an army from nothing out there and he had to 00:22:57.390 --> 00:23:01.150 deal with very, very difficult social structure. 00:23:03.450 --> 00:23:06.670 Almost a foreign head of state in Quezon who, 00:23:06.890 --> 00:23:12.029 as you remember, fought against us in the Philippine 00:23:12.029 --> 00:23:13.809 insurrection and would have done it again if 00:23:13.809 --> 00:23:17.369 he could have found a way to do it. So here's 00:23:17.369 --> 00:23:21.019 Eisenhower stuck. between MacArthur and Kazan 00:23:21.019 --> 00:23:24.759 and it got so bad on occasion that Kazan would 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:27.240 invite Eisenhower to the palace to find out what 00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:30.059 MacArthur was doing. Here's a man who was stuck 00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:34.079 in the middle of a very diplomatic situation 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:37.119 and I've often said when he goes to England in 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:41.819 42 he has to deal with the Brits somewhat with 00:23:41.819 --> 00:23:45.339 the French and a group of American military commanders 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:48.849 who really weren't up to snuff yet. It was child's 00:23:48.849 --> 00:23:50.730 play. He'd been through this. I was going to 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:53.730 say, the other story that we know about Eisenhower 00:23:53.730 --> 00:23:57.069 being stuck in the middle was with the Veterans 00:23:57.069 --> 00:23:59.490 March on Washington in the early 1930s. Yeah, 00:23:59.490 --> 00:24:04.049 he wrote MacArthur's report for MacArthur and 00:24:04.049 --> 00:24:06.269 tried to make MacArthur sound as good as he could. 00:24:07.589 --> 00:24:09.609 And you find this all the way through. He was 00:24:09.609 --> 00:24:11.930 literally writing all the Assistant Secretary 00:24:11.930 --> 00:24:14.859 of War speeches. He was meeting with people like 00:24:14.859 --> 00:24:17.839 Bernard Baruch on almost a weekly basis, a major. 00:24:19.660 --> 00:24:22.559 I became convinced when we were editing his pre 00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:25.599 -war diaries and papers that any time they wanted 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:27.359 anything done in the War Department, they just 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:31.599 gave it to Eisenhower. This is an image that 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.799 most of us don't have of him. A very smart man 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:38.859 and an excellent writer. It sounds like it. So 00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:43.460 we've got Eisenhower working under MacArthur 00:24:43.460 --> 00:24:46.779 here. Is he a lieutenant colonel or colonel yet? 00:24:47.160 --> 00:24:49.440 Well, it depends. He's got a whole slew of temporary 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:54.480 ranks. It's too hard for most people to sort 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:56.460 this out because you don't understand temporary 00:24:56.460 --> 00:25:00.519 ranks and the permanent ranks. He goes through 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:04.119 that time period from he might be a major, then 00:25:04.119 --> 00:25:05.839 he might be a lieutenant colonel, then he's back 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:08.420 to major, then he's colonel, then he's back to 00:25:08.420 --> 00:25:10.420 major again, then he gets his permanent ranks. 00:25:11.259 --> 00:25:13.599 That's just too complicated to really go into. 00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:15.940 Basically, most of that time, he was a major. 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:18.619 I guess the point I was trying to make is that 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:20.380 in today's military, you don't normally spend 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:24.059 20, 25 years to get to be a major. Yeah, you've 00:25:24.059 --> 00:25:25.900 got to remember when he's in the Philippines, 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:29.039 he comes back, he's a 51 -year -old permanent 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:32.759 lieutenant colonel with no future, basically, 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:37.980 until the war breaks out. John, I'm going back 00:25:37.980 --> 00:25:40.160 to you. John, did he contemplate retiring at 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:44.940 any point? Well, maybe very early, but nothing 00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:48.799 serious. In the 1930s, he had a couple of quite 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:51.720 lucrative financial offers to leave the military. 00:25:52.500 --> 00:25:55.039 One from publisher William Randolph Hearst, who 00:25:55.039 --> 00:25:58.680 asked him to be the newspaper chain's top military 00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:01.920 correspondent. And he turned that down. And a 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:06.359 second from a citizens group in Manila. He decided, 00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:10.319 no, the Army is where I want to stay. Eventually 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:13.900 the country will be involved in a conflict, and 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:18.299 I want to be part of that. He had studied quite 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:22.180 a bit in the 20s under a man who was his mentor, 00:26:22.259 --> 00:26:25.700 General Fox Conner. And Conner always emphasized, 00:26:25.700 --> 00:26:28.400 you know, maybe in 20 years, whatever, there'll 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:31.519 be another clash, and you'll have to know how 00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:35.309 to work with allies. And so Eisenhower was trying 00:26:35.309 --> 00:26:37.710 to prepare for that. And that's why his service 00:26:37.710 --> 00:26:40.109 with MacArthur was so valuable for Eisenhower 00:26:40.109 --> 00:26:43.410 in writing all these reports and in dealing with 00:26:43.410 --> 00:26:46.549 the numerous politicians who came through MacArthur's 00:26:46.549 --> 00:26:49.710 offices when they were in Washington, D .C. Eisenhower 00:26:49.710 --> 00:26:52.549 received excellent training in how to handle 00:26:52.549 --> 00:26:56.230 people and in how to present complicated information 00:26:56.230 --> 00:26:59.849 in somewhat of a simple fashion, in a clear fashion. 00:27:00.329 --> 00:27:02.869 So it was quite a good experience for him. I've 00:27:02.869 --> 00:27:04.809 got a little bit less than a minute till we come 00:27:04.809 --> 00:27:07.109 up to our next break. Can you tell us a little 00:27:07.109 --> 00:27:10.289 bit, just a quick story about his, where he was 00:27:10.289 --> 00:27:18.730 at the beginning of World War II? I'll tell you 00:27:18.730 --> 00:27:21.849 one thing you need to look at on that. He's at 00:27:21.849 --> 00:27:27.630 Fort Sam and he was asked to give the graduation 00:27:27.630 --> 00:27:31.210 speech to the air cadets at Kelly Field. And 00:27:31.210 --> 00:27:34.250 he was invited to do that in November. And he 00:27:34.250 --> 00:27:37.109 sits down and writes the speech. And then after 00:27:37.109 --> 00:27:39.609 Pearl Harbor, he rewrites the speech. And it's 00:27:39.609 --> 00:27:41.930 one of the most inspiring, inspirational things 00:27:41.930 --> 00:27:45.690 you'll ever read. And it was never given. And 00:27:45.690 --> 00:27:47.630 if you really want to take a look at the Real 00:27:47.630 --> 00:27:49.190 Eisenhower, that's the speech you need to look 00:27:49.190 --> 00:27:50.730 at right before the war. And then, of course, 00:27:51.210 --> 00:27:52.269 he was summoned to the war. We've got to go. 00:27:52.309 --> 00:27:53.869 We'll be right back after this. You're listening 00:27:53.869 --> 00:27:56.019 to Veterans Radio. The Medal of Honor is the 00:27:56.019 --> 00:27:58.220 highest award for valor in combat given a member 00:27:58.220 --> 00:28:00.420 of the Armed Forces of the United States. There 00:28:00.420 --> 00:28:03.400 have been over 3 ,400 recipients of the nation's 00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:06.700 highest award. This is one of them. Corporal 00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:08.980 Larry Maxim, despite numerous severe wounds, 00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:11.619 continued to defend his position for an hour 00:28:11.619 --> 00:28:16.740 and a half. Details after this. Maxim was serving 00:28:16.740 --> 00:28:19.980 as a fire team leader in Vietnam when the district 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:22.420 headquarters came under extremely heavy rocket, 00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:25.410 artillery, mortar, and recoil its rifle fire 00:28:25.410 --> 00:28:28.750 from a numerically superior enemy force, destroying 00:28:28.750 --> 00:28:32.490 a portion of the defensive perimeter. Maxim, 00:28:32.690 --> 00:28:34.690 observing the enemy massing for an assault into 00:28:34.690 --> 00:28:37.150 the compound across the remaining defensive wire, 00:28:37.930 --> 00:28:40.309 instructed his assistant fire team leader to 00:28:40.309 --> 00:28:43.650 take charge of the fire team and unhesitatingly 00:28:43.650 --> 00:28:45.730 proceeded to the weakened section of the perimeter. 00:28:46.930 --> 00:28:48.849 Completely exposed to the concentrated enemy 00:28:48.849 --> 00:28:51.539 fire, He sustained multiple fragmentation wounds 00:28:51.539 --> 00:28:54.099 from exploding grenades as he ran to an abandoned 00:28:54.099 --> 00:28:57.240 machine gun position. Reaching the emplacement, 00:28:57.640 --> 00:28:59.779 he grasped the machine gun and commenced to deliver 00:28:59.779 --> 00:29:03.180 effective fire on the advancing enemy. As the 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:05.400 enemy directed maximum firepower against the 00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:08.299 determined Marine, Maxim's position received 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:10.660 a direct hit from a rocket -propelled grenade, 00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:13.640 knocking him backwards and inflicting severe 00:29:13.640 --> 00:29:16.420 fragmentation wounds to his face and right eye. 00:29:17.530 --> 00:29:20.569 Although momentarily stunned and in intense pain, 00:29:21.230 --> 00:29:23.670 Maxim courageously resumed his firing position 00:29:23.670 --> 00:29:26.970 and subsequently was struck again by small arms 00:29:26.970 --> 00:29:30.769 fire. With resolute determination, he gallantly 00:29:30.769 --> 00:29:33.309 continued to deliver intense machine gun fire, 00:29:33.609 --> 00:29:35.589 causing the enemy to retreat through the defensive 00:29:35.589 --> 00:29:38.970 wire to positions of cover. In a desperate attempt 00:29:38.970 --> 00:29:41.569 to silence his weapon, the North Vietnamese threw 00:29:41.569 --> 00:29:43.789 hand grenades and directed recoilless rifle fire 00:29:43.789 --> 00:29:46.390 against him, inflicting two additional wounds. 00:29:47.210 --> 00:29:50.410 Too weak to reload his machine gun, Maxim fell 00:29:50.410 --> 00:29:54.589 to a prone position and valiantly continued to 00:29:54.589 --> 00:29:57.470 deliver effective fire with his rifle. After 00:29:57.470 --> 00:29:59.450 one and a half hours during which he was hit 00:29:59.450 --> 00:30:02.170 repeatedly by fragments from exploding grenades 00:30:02.170 --> 00:30:05.289 and concentrated small arms fire, he succumbed 00:30:05.289 --> 00:30:07.970 to his wounds, having successfully defended nearly 00:30:07.970 --> 00:30:11.210 half of the perimeter single -handedly. The Medal 00:30:11.210 --> 00:30:13.549 of Honor series is a production of Veterans Radio. 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:17.480 If you have a VA claim that was denied by the 00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:19.700 Board of Veterans' Appeals, contact Legal Help 00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:24.579 for Veterans at 1 -800 -693 -4800. There are 00:30:24.579 --> 00:30:26.579 experts in handling cases before the U .S. Court 00:30:26.579 --> 00:30:28.940 of Appeals for Veterans' claims and will help 00:30:28.940 --> 00:30:35.299 you get a proper review. boating enthusiasts 00:30:35.299 --> 00:30:37.460 out there. Now it's getting to be that time of 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:39.779 year and I want you to make sure that you give 00:30:39.779 --> 00:30:42.460 my friend Ray Schrader a call at Schrader Yacht 00:30:42.460 --> 00:30:44.779 Sales in Point Pleasant, New Jersey our national 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:49.539 sponsor here. Give Ray a call at 732 -899 -8010. 00:30:50.170 --> 00:30:52.150 Did you know, I bet you didn't know this, the 00:30:52.150 --> 00:30:54.950 first Chris Craft was built in 1874, and today 00:30:54.950 --> 00:30:57.390 that tradition continues. Wherever you go, it 00:30:57.390 --> 00:31:00.490 is a boat that has a destination in itself. Designed 00:31:00.490 --> 00:31:02.730 without compromise, it is exhilaration taken 00:31:02.730 --> 00:31:05.549 to the extreme. Whichever model you choose, each 00:31:05.549 --> 00:31:07.569 one will catch the eye, steal the heart, and 00:31:07.569 --> 00:31:09.750 fill your lungs with healthy outdoor air. Come 00:31:09.750 --> 00:31:11.769 into Schrader Yacht Sales to experience all of 00:31:11.769 --> 00:31:13.910 this for yourself. So give Ray a call again at 00:31:13.910 --> 00:31:18.450 732 -899 -8010, and he promises he'll come all 00:31:18.450 --> 00:31:19.849 the way to Michigan if you need him to. to deliver 00:31:19.849 --> 00:31:22.990 his boats. That's Schrader Yacht Sales at schraderyachts 00:31:22.990 --> 00:31:27.769 .com. S -C -H -R -A -D -E -R -Y -A -C -H -T -S 00:31:27.769 --> 00:31:33.069 dot com. Need any home repairs? Pat the Handyman 00:31:33.069 --> 00:31:34.910 is a licensed and insured remodeler who served 00:31:34.910 --> 00:31:36.769 in the United States Army. He can paint your 00:31:36.769 --> 00:31:38.529 home, install a kitchen, or finish those repairs 00:31:38.529 --> 00:31:40.509 you started and somehow never quite finished. 00:31:40.990 --> 00:31:44.990 So call Pat the Handyman at 734 -260 -1158 and 00:31:44.990 --> 00:31:46.630 tell him you heard about him on Veterans Radio. 00:31:48.649 --> 00:31:51.049 Len Pitlak, CPA, is an award -winning consultant 00:31:51.049 --> 00:31:52.849 for the U .S. Small Business Development Center. 00:31:53.009 --> 00:31:54.950 Let him use his 25 years experience to bring 00:31:54.950 --> 00:31:56.789 you, as an individual or small business owner, 00:31:56.930 --> 00:31:58.650 his professional and courteous tax and accounting 00:31:58.650 --> 00:32:01.210 services. Give Len Pitlak a call today at 734 00:32:01.210 --> 00:32:10.369 -993 -1313. And we're back on veterans radio 00:32:10.369 --> 00:32:12.470 coming from the studios of Bobby Maria radio 00:32:12.470 --> 00:32:15.829 in Ann Arbor, Michigan Joining us today on veterans 00:32:15.829 --> 00:32:18.529 radio is the author of Eisenhower a new biography 00:32:18.529 --> 00:32:21.109 and a great general series. That's John Wukowicz 00:32:21.109 --> 00:32:24.289 And also we've got Dan Hall the director of the 00:32:24.289 --> 00:32:27.569 Dwight D Eisenhower Library and Museum in Abilene, 00:32:27.609 --> 00:32:30.150 Kansas and in the studio is Bob Gould my partner 00:32:30.150 --> 00:32:32.710 and Introduce the rest of the folks as we get 00:32:32.710 --> 00:32:36.450 toward the top of the hour But I wanted to, now 00:32:36.450 --> 00:32:38.509 that we've just gotten into World War II, which, 00:32:38.630 --> 00:32:41.329 of course, we all know is Eisenhower's finest 00:32:41.329 --> 00:32:44.990 hour to take away something from Churchill. And 00:32:44.990 --> 00:32:47.329 so, Dan, I'm going to ask you a little bit. We 00:32:47.329 --> 00:32:49.869 mentioned a little bit about how he got involved, 00:32:50.009 --> 00:32:51.930 where he was at the beginning of World War II. 00:32:53.009 --> 00:32:55.910 Well, like I said, quickly, a minute ago, he 00:32:55.910 --> 00:33:02.920 was at Fort Sam Houston. He actually was coaching 00:33:02.920 --> 00:33:04.900 two football teams too at the same time, one 00:33:04.900 --> 00:33:09.299 in an academy and one in high school. And then 00:33:09.299 --> 00:33:12.559 he, if you want me to repeat that about the speech, 00:33:13.319 --> 00:33:17.400 but he is called to the War Office, War Department 00:33:17.400 --> 00:33:20.599 right after Pearl Harbor and the speech I referred 00:33:20.599 --> 00:33:22.799 to earlier, he never was able to give and we 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:25.039 actually checked with Kelly Field to see if somebody 00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:27.750 else gave it and they didn't. I think if anybody 00:33:27.750 --> 00:33:29.990 wants to read the real Eisenhower, you've got 00:33:29.990 --> 00:33:32.849 to read that speech. And they could access that 00:33:32.849 --> 00:33:38.309 how? I think we now have it online, but it's 00:33:38.309 --> 00:33:42.130 in the book on Eisenhower's pre -war diaries 00:33:42.130 --> 00:33:44.950 and papers. Remarkably, we have both speeches, 00:33:45.049 --> 00:33:48.349 the one he drafted in November, which is the 00:33:48.349 --> 00:33:50.609 ordinary thing to the Kelly Field cadets. You 00:33:50.609 --> 00:33:52.170 know, you're the young officers and you get ready 00:33:52.170 --> 00:33:55.630 to go. But then after the war starts and he rewrites 00:33:55.630 --> 00:33:58.630 it, I mean he's talking about the duty of the 00:33:58.630 --> 00:34:03.569 young officer is his very soul of existence. 00:34:03.690 --> 00:34:06.009 This is a remarkable, remarkable statement that 00:34:06.009 --> 00:34:09.070 he writes in his speech. Could you give out the 00:34:09.070 --> 00:34:15.230 website for the library? Just go on and put in 00:34:15.230 --> 00:34:19.130 eisenhower .gov and it will come up. I believe 00:34:19.130 --> 00:34:20.949 that's one of the speeches they put on there 00:34:20.949 --> 00:34:23.329 recently. That and the more famous in case of 00:34:23.329 --> 00:34:26.869 failure note after D -Day. I'm looking at your 00:34:26.869 --> 00:34:29.090 notes here as I've got your Eisenhower, the pre 00:34:29.090 --> 00:34:32.570 -war diaries that was published for John Hopkins. 00:34:33.250 --> 00:34:37.110 Is that available at Amazon? Yeah, I think you 00:34:37.110 --> 00:34:39.289 can get it through Amazon. You can also get John 00:34:39.289 --> 00:34:40.989 Wolkovitz's book, Eisenhower, through Amazon 00:34:40.989 --> 00:34:42.469 and all the rest of the books that he has written. 00:34:43.110 --> 00:34:46.650 Let me go back to John for a moment here. John, 00:34:46.730 --> 00:34:51.289 tell me what happened next with Eisenhower. Right 00:34:51.289 --> 00:34:53.750 after the war started, he then did some work 00:34:53.750 --> 00:34:57.429 in planning operations around the world, trying 00:34:57.429 --> 00:34:58.429 to get some equipment.