WEBVTT 00:00:18.570 --> 00:00:21.489 From the studios of Ave Maria radio in Ann Arbor, 00:00:21.550 --> 00:00:25.410 this is veterans radio and now here's your host 00:00:25.410 --> 00:00:31.910 Gary Lillard Good morning out there in America 00:00:31.910 --> 00:00:34.829 land. Good morning to our troops around the world 00:00:34.829 --> 00:00:37.329 We're you know that thin green and blue line 00:00:37.329 --> 00:00:39.250 that's protecting us and every other country 00:00:39.250 --> 00:00:42.090 in the world and Good morning to my veteran brothers 00:00:42.090 --> 00:00:45.509 and sisters and welcome home Good morning to 00:00:45.509 --> 00:00:48.530 all our friends down there down under in the 00:00:48.530 --> 00:00:51.310 Australian continent in the South American continent 00:00:51.310 --> 00:00:54.490 Appreciate your emails keep them coming. I'm 00:00:54.490 --> 00:01:00.469 Gary Lilly CB, Chu Lai Vietnam Republic of 1966 00:01:00.469 --> 00:01:04.390 and In the booth right now is Dale Throneberry 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:08.959 Good morning, Gary. This is Dale Thrunbury, 195th 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:11.079 Assault Helicopter Company, the Republic of Vietnam. 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:12.700 Boy, you might sound like you're reading official 00:01:12.700 --> 00:01:15.959 orders there. I was thinking about a movie I 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:18.640 saw a while back. Anyway, good morning, everybody. 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:21.480 And yes, our greetings to all of our listeners 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:23.500 around the world on the internet. It's very exciting 00:01:23.500 --> 00:01:25.739 that we're getting these emails now from all 00:01:25.739 --> 00:01:28.019 over the place. And also our air boss today, 00:01:29.019 --> 00:01:33.799 Andy Penny. How's it going? Andy Penny. August 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:37.780 10th, 1982. How about that? That's not a date 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:40.780 of service. That's the date of birth. The kid. 00:01:41.659 --> 00:01:45.379 The kid. Welcome to Veterans Radio. And later 00:01:45.379 --> 00:01:48.180 on, we're going to be going into an interview 00:01:48.180 --> 00:01:51.280 with Bob Feller, the legendary Hall of Fame Bob 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:54.459 Feller. It was pre -recorded. He was on a real 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:56.159 tight time schedule the other night. That was 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:57.739 pretty interesting, wasn't it? It was very interesting. 00:01:57.819 --> 00:01:59.480 You'll be able to tell he's on a time schedule 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:03.560 as we get up toward the end of it. He's an interesting 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:07.120 guy. And for those of us that are over 55, let's 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:08.919 put it that way, I'm sure that we all remember 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:12.419 what a great pitcher he was during the 30s, 40s, 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:15.159 and 50s. I didn't like him because he was always 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:17.879 beating the Detroit Tigers. Well, that's, you 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:22.120 know. Cleveland Indian pitcher. Boy, did he have 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:25.680 a fastball. 107 miles an hour, he said. Astounding, 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:28.539 isn't it? Astounding. Right now, though, we're 00:02:28.539 --> 00:02:32.259 going to get in and talk to Peggy Costello of 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:36.909 Project Salute. Good morning, Peggy. Good morning, 00:02:36.949 --> 00:02:40.169 Peggy. Good morning, Gary. And thanks for having 00:02:40.169 --> 00:02:43.110 me on today. And let me first thank all the veterans 00:02:43.110 --> 00:02:45.349 who are listening for their service to our country. 00:02:45.430 --> 00:02:48.389 We really truly appreciate it. Thank you. It's 00:02:48.389 --> 00:02:51.409 a privilege to serve this country. Not at the 00:02:51.409 --> 00:02:54.810 moment, but afterwards. Tell us what Project 00:02:54.810 --> 00:02:57.590 Salute is, please, Peggy. Project Salute is a 00:02:57.590 --> 00:03:00.370 project of the University of Detroit Mercy School 00:03:00.370 --> 00:03:03.439 of Law. which includes both the Veterans Law 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:06.379 Clinic where we train students to work with veterans, 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:09.979 primarily in the area of veterans benefits, and 00:03:09.979 --> 00:03:13.719 also have a mobile law office, actually two, 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:15.879 which we take throughout the state of Michigan 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:19.599 and also throughout certain cities in the United 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:22.639 States to which we've been invited. I can see 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:25.680 that those cities range from Texas to North Carolina, 00:03:25.979 --> 00:03:30.610 Alabama, Minnesota. Yes, that's true. Lots in 00:03:30.610 --> 00:03:33.330 Florida. We've been to Florida quite a bit. We 00:03:33.330 --> 00:03:36.870 like to go there in the winter, of course. Currently, 00:03:37.169 --> 00:03:40.870 the mobile law office is in North Carolina this 00:03:40.870 --> 00:03:43.849 week and will be in South Carolina in two weeks. 00:03:44.430 --> 00:03:47.430 Okay. How can people find the schedule then? 00:03:47.569 --> 00:03:51.250 We'll get back to what it is. Sure. On our website, 00:03:52.289 --> 00:03:59.860 which is www .law .udmercy .edu, That's www .law 00:03:59.860 --> 00:04:05.699 .udmercy .edu. There's a link that you click 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:07.879 to on Project Salute and it will give you the 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:10.900 schedule both in Michigan and around the country 00:04:10.900 --> 00:04:15.639 for the next few months. We're always adding 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.199 to it though, let me say. Pardon me? We're always 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:21.300 adding to it, so you may find new sites if you 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:23.399 go there a day later than you went last time. 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:27.860 I think I see December on there, so. planning 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:31.699 quite a ways ahead. What do you do for the veterans 00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:34.980 and how do they pay for it? Well, first of all, 00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:37.500 the veterans that we see don't pay for it because 00:04:37.500 --> 00:04:41.759 we primarily service veterans who are low income 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:44.540 if we actually handle their cases. But anyone, 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:47.560 no matter what their income level, can call us 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:50.560 and we can give some direction, we can give referrals 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:54.370 either to veteran service officers to other attorneys 00:04:54.370 --> 00:04:56.889 if they've got the resources to pay for attorneys 00:04:56.889 --> 00:05:00.269 and they need attorneys for different matters, 00:05:00.589 --> 00:05:02.829 or we can simply answer their questions. But 00:05:02.829 --> 00:05:05.170 to actually qualify to have their case handled, 00:05:05.850 --> 00:05:08.290 they must be relatively low income, which is 00:05:08.290 --> 00:05:12.089 200 % of the poverty level, approximately $20 00:05:12.089 --> 00:05:15.410 ,000 or so for a single person. And what kind 00:05:15.410 --> 00:05:19.139 of cases do you represent? In the clinic, we 00:05:19.139 --> 00:05:21.699 handle almost exclusively veterans' benefits 00:05:21.699 --> 00:05:24.040 matters, people who are at various levels of 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:26.339 trying to obtain either their service -connected 00:05:26.339 --> 00:05:30.879 benefits or pension benefits. We have some discharge 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:34.360 upgrades that we handle. And then in some cases, 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:37.000 we do handle ancillary legal matters for people, 00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:40.439 for example, a criminal expungement or a minor 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:44.490 misdemeanor matter or... uh... matters with creditors 00:05:44.490 --> 00:05:47.149 uh... simple will power of attorney things of 00:05:47.149 --> 00:05:50.189 that nature you as an example would not do criminal 00:05:50.189 --> 00:05:53.569 defense not unless it was uh... adjusted misdemeanor 00:05:53.569 --> 00:05:55.529 matter if it wasn't a misdemeanor matter with 00:05:55.529 --> 00:05:57.129 sometimes they were working with the veteran 00:05:57.129 --> 00:05:59.829 and other areas then we would go with them for 00:05:59.829 --> 00:06:03.689 example you know public uh... intoxication or 00:06:03.689 --> 00:06:07.069 some some sort of minor matter that they've gotten 00:06:07.069 --> 00:06:10.220 themselves into the week parole violation, perhaps 00:06:10.220 --> 00:06:12.319 we could help them with that in many instances. 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:22.399 Veterans are a great need for the benefits. I 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:25.639 know a veteran that lost a toe to frostbite in 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:29.670 Korea, and the VA said, prove it. Well, he took 00:06:29.670 --> 00:06:31.209 you know, he showed him that his toe was missing. 00:06:31.269 --> 00:06:33.569 They said prove you lost it in Korea Exactly. 00:06:33.790 --> 00:06:36.110 And so that's where you guys would step in Yes, 00:06:36.149 --> 00:06:39.490 and and again we do the system as you mentioned 00:06:39.490 --> 00:06:42.230 is very difficult to navigate We also do a lot 00:06:42.230 --> 00:06:45.350 of education for veterans groups Actually go 00:06:45.350 --> 00:06:47.250 out and talk to them about what you would have 00:06:47.250 --> 00:06:50.129 to show what how you could possibly prove that 00:06:50.129 --> 00:06:53.529 you lost that toe in Korea, even if there was 00:06:53.529 --> 00:06:58.040 no medical record from your medical you know, 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:00.420 file in Korea. Peggy, thank you very much. We're 00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:02.540 out of time, believe it or not. Okay. We'll get 00:07:02.540 --> 00:07:04.120 it on the website. Thank you, Peggy. Thanks so 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:07.899 much. Dale, we're going to be welcoming home 00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:12.259 some troops. Hopefully that list will start growing 00:07:12.259 --> 00:07:24.519 as they start coming back. Each week on Veterans 00:07:24.519 --> 00:07:26.839 Radio, we welcome home servicemen and women from 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:30.060 around the country who have served in our military. 00:07:30.339 --> 00:07:32.300 We do this to let them know that we honor their 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:34.939 service and commitment. Dateline, Bradenton, 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:37.259 Florida. Dozens of flag bearers stood lining 00:07:37.259 --> 00:07:39.459 a quiet residential street in Bradenton last 00:07:39.459 --> 00:07:41.920 week. Curious neighbors peered from their windows 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:44.019 and yards as members of the Patriot Guard and 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:46.420 the Christian Motorcyclists Association parked 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:48.420 their motorcycles and took a place alongside 00:07:48.420 --> 00:07:51.259 the road. Conversations almost became whispers 00:07:51.259 --> 00:07:54.250 as everybody waited. Across the state hours earlier 00:07:54.250 --> 00:07:56.550 in West Palm Beach, First Sergeant Aaron Cornelius, 00:07:56.730 --> 00:07:59.269 4th Battalion, 64th Armour, had climbed into 00:07:59.269 --> 00:08:01.410 a white minivan with his wife for the last leg 00:08:01.410 --> 00:08:03.990 of a journey that started months ago. He was 00:08:03.990 --> 00:08:06.829 finally coming home. As Sergeant Cornelius's 00:08:06.829 --> 00:08:08.990 motorcade grew closer, flags were straightened, 00:08:09.050 --> 00:08:11.649 some people stood at attention and saluted alongside 00:08:11.649 --> 00:08:14.350 of the road. Sergeant Cornelius unfortunately 00:08:14.350 --> 00:08:16.790 would see none of it. In the Dora district of 00:08:16.790 --> 00:08:19.029 Iraq, almost a year ago, Sergeant Cornelius was 00:08:19.029 --> 00:08:20.930 blinded in an explosion that killed the rest 00:08:20.930 --> 00:08:23.730 of his squad. Sergeant Cornelius could not see 00:08:23.730 --> 00:08:25.730 his welcome home, but surely he could hear and 00:08:25.730 --> 00:08:28.550 feel it. As Sergeant Cornelius exited the minivan, 00:08:28.769 --> 00:08:30.850 he was enfolded into the arms of family members 00:08:30.850 --> 00:08:33.809 and friends. A line formed in solemnly each rider 00:08:33.809 --> 00:08:35.970 welcomed home the man they had come to honor. 00:08:36.479 --> 00:08:38.620 Tears flowed as each man walked up and hugged 00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:41.460 First Sergeant Aaron Cornelius. It's so good 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:43.419 to be back where people love me and care about 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:45.580 me, said Sergeant Cornelius. Now that I'm back, 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:48.059 it's my turn to go help people. I want to become 00:08:48.059 --> 00:08:50.320 a mentor to help the next wounded soldier, he 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:52.659 said. You know the military can be an ornery 00:08:52.659 --> 00:08:54.759 place for you, but the camaraderie and closeness 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:58.120 will definitely be missed. Bayline, Pittsburgh, 00:08:58.379 --> 00:09:00.500 Pennsylvania. A local group of soldiers recently 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:03.980 back from Iraq received a welcome home. The 303rd 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:06.600 Psychological Operations Company based in Oakdale 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:09.320 received a welcome home at Fort Bragg and a larger 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:11.600 festivity at the Soldiers and Sailors Hall in 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:14.980 Pittsburgh. Dayline, Fort Hood, Texas. Fourth 00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:17.120 Infantry Division families were reunited with 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:19.279 their soldiers at a special welcome home ceremony 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:22.059 at Cameron Field, Fort Hood, Texas. More than 00:09:22.059 --> 00:09:24.500 200 soldiers assigned to the Special Troops Battalion 00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:28.320 arrived after 15 months in Iraq. On behalf of 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:30.460 a grateful nation and all of us at Veterans Radio, 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:33.460 we welcome home our troops. And Dale, we were 00:09:33.460 --> 00:09:36.019 talking about it the other day about how that 00:09:36.019 --> 00:09:38.980 list is going to grow and instead of welcoming 00:09:38.980 --> 00:09:41.480 home individuals, we're going to be welcoming 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:44.299 home divisions. And battalions. It's a great 00:09:44.299 --> 00:09:46.159 thing. We're so happy to welcome these people 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:48.139 home and they deserve it. We'll be right back. 00:09:53.950 --> 00:09:57.570 As a 17 -year -old rookie in 1936, Bob Feller 00:09:57.570 --> 00:09:59.929 struck out eight players against the St. Louis 00:09:59.929 --> 00:10:02.529 Cardinals in just three innings. In his first 00:10:02.529 --> 00:10:06.009 start, he struck out 15 players. And before he 00:10:06.009 --> 00:10:08.769 was out of his teens, he struck out 18 Tigers 00:10:08.769 --> 00:10:13.950 in one game. And Bob Feller pitched a no -hitter 00:10:13.950 --> 00:10:17.049 on his opening day in 1940 hearing the nicknames 00:10:17.049 --> 00:10:21.009 of Rapid Robert and Bullet Bob. Then December 00:10:21.009 --> 00:10:25.299 7th, 1941 came And Bob Feller volunteered to 00:10:25.299 --> 00:10:28.980 be in the Navy. Bob Feller, welcome to Veterans 00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:34.659 Radio. You volunteered for the Navy, is that 00:10:34.659 --> 00:10:38.840 right, Mr. Feller? I volunteered a couple of 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:41.059 days after Pearl Harbor, and I signed up on the 00:10:41.059 --> 00:10:43.460 9th of December and went to War College after 00:10:43.460 --> 00:10:47.059 boot camp. I was assigned to the battleship Alabama, 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:53.039 which was completed in the The Navy yard in the 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:56.360 Portsmouth, Virginia sailed out of Hampton Roads. 00:10:56.539 --> 00:11:00.759 That was our home base. We spent 11 months taking 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:04.019 supplies to Russia. And then we went out into 00:11:04.019 --> 00:11:07.139 the Pacific and spent almost two years out there 00:11:07.139 --> 00:11:09.139 getting General MacArthur back to the Philippines 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:12.879 and on to Okinawa. And then I returned, of course, 00:11:12.879 --> 00:11:15.960 and played ball for another 10 years with the 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:19.299 Cleveland Indians. And you missed probably the 00:11:20.140 --> 00:11:24.519 For four years that were in 1941 you won 25 games 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:28.720 and in 1946 26 games in between other than a 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:32.039 short span in 1945 you and the military you ever 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:37.220 regret enlisting No, I ever had any regrets we 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:42.240 won World War two All -out war it was a war we 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:45.440 had to win and to protect the sovereignty United 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:47.879 States of America I didn't regret at all I was 00:11:47.879 --> 00:11:50.509 a I thought I made a very good decision when 00:11:50.509 --> 00:11:53.470 I decided to join the Navy. I was in Chicago 00:11:53.470 --> 00:11:56.490 the day of Pearl Harbor. I met the General Manager 00:11:56.490 --> 00:11:58.210 of the Cleveland Indians to sign my contract 00:11:58.210 --> 00:12:01.190 for the next year. I told him that night on December 00:12:01.190 --> 00:12:04.110 7th that I was going to join the Navy. And Gene 00:12:04.110 --> 00:12:05.809 Cunning, the head of the Navy physical fitness 00:12:05.809 --> 00:12:09.070 program, flew out from Washington on Monday and 00:12:09.070 --> 00:12:11.129 swarmed in Tuesday morning at the recruiting 00:12:11.129 --> 00:12:13.970 office in Chicago. And I went right from there 00:12:13.970 --> 00:12:16.940 to Norfolk. for our boot camp and then on to 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:18.860 the War College in Newport, Rhode Island and 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:24.720 back to the Alabama and I had a couple of several 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:29.240 weeks between the college at the War College 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:35.559 and in Alabama standing for Europe and so I played 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:37.820 ball with Norfolk Naval Training Station there 00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:42.460 for a few weeks before we took off for our convoy 00:12:42.460 --> 00:12:44.720 duty, taking supplies from our management archangel 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:47.940 for 11 months. And I played ball in the South 00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:50.539 Pacific, too, on some of the islands in the Pacific, 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:55.659 where they had the CBs had made ball diamonds 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:57.399 out there on some of the islands. And we had 00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:59.000 ball games. We played up to the other ships. 00:12:59.100 --> 00:13:01.580 And I played catch a board ship quite a bit, 00:13:02.019 --> 00:13:06.779 besides giving exercises every day when the conditions 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:09.700 permitted to the crew aboard the Alabama. that 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:14.059 was my job to give exercises twice a day. One 00:13:14.059 --> 00:13:16.080 half the ship at one time and half the other 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:18.860 ship another time to keep the officers and the 00:13:18.860 --> 00:13:21.440 crew in shape and sometimes we did it and sometimes 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:24.419 we couldn't depending on what the situation was 00:13:24.419 --> 00:13:26.740 at the moment. I imagine north of the Arctic 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:28.980 Circle it was a little difficult to play catch. 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:32.960 Speak up. I said I imagine north of the Arctic 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:35.340 Circle it was a little difficult to play baseball. 00:13:35.639 --> 00:13:37.899 because i'm not sure we can we're going to ice 00:13:37.899 --> 00:13:40.080 for the summer one that we put a softball game 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:43.159 in it right to make their navy base in the right 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:46.980 to make and uh... i didn't play baseball in iceland 00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:49.879 but we did play softball a couple times in the 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:51.820 middle of the in the summertime when the the 00:13:51.820 --> 00:13:57.100 son was up sender went down and we would be right 00:13:57.100 --> 00:13:59.399 all the time we could we're playing up there 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:01.740 and we didn't do that only two or three times 00:14:01.740 --> 00:14:04.179 and we want to uh... you know that we didn't 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:08.080 stop there that often It was surprising to me 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:10.879 to learn that the Alabama was assigned to the 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:14.000 British home fleet for some period of time at 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:16.600 the beginning of the war. Well, we were there 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:19.320 with this battleship South Dakota and we had 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:22.899 one of our carriers, a ranger, was with us. And 00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:26.919 we had a few destroyers and other ships, capital 00:14:26.919 --> 00:14:31.039 ships, the cruisers, heavy and light. Quite a 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:33.019 British -guided carrier. They were the illustrious 00:14:33.019 --> 00:14:36.639 and also the... heavy cruiser rodney uh... with 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:40.679 with with us and we had uh... other escorts but 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:43.620 we didn't have to take liberty ships for the 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:46.559 supplies to mermans -caracagio during the winner 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:49.500 of forty three forty four it was very very cold 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:53.440 and we'll get it headed for the uh... about forty 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:56.200 two forty three i should say and we had to be 00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:58.960 specific and spent about not quite two years 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:01.820 out there before i came back and uh... I was 00:15:01.820 --> 00:15:03.440 the manager of the Great Lakes team of Great 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:06.039 Lakes, Illinois, where we had a very fine Major 00:15:06.039 --> 00:15:08.820 League ball club and playing games against all 00:15:08.820 --> 00:15:11.360 the Major League clubs and a lot of other clubs 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:16.120 and Air Force bases and other professional teams 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:18.899 and amateur teams. For the entertainment personnel, 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:23.519 they had 110 ,000 satyrs at the Lakes then. Great 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:27.009 Lakes going in training. That's where I took 00:15:27.009 --> 00:15:29.289 my basic training was Great Lakes. I was a CB 00:15:29.289 --> 00:15:32.929 myself and one of my uncles was a Navy gunner 00:15:32.929 --> 00:15:36.809 on one of those Liberty ships so Liberty ships 00:15:36.809 --> 00:15:40.210 had they had they had the armed guard aboard 00:15:40.210 --> 00:15:42.970 on it had a little had a small gum on the bow 00:15:42.970 --> 00:15:46.049 they didn't have a whole lot to protect themselves 00:15:46.049 --> 00:15:50.289 with me they had We were supposed to protect 00:15:50.289 --> 00:15:52.450 them all I only ever saw one of them get sunk 00:15:52.450 --> 00:15:54.840 and we rescued everybody was on that Oh, really? 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:57.960 On that particular ship, it was a torpedo. That 00:15:57.960 --> 00:15:59.259 was up in the North Sea, was it? There was a 00:15:59.259 --> 00:16:03.139 man in that particular instance. Was that up 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:05.919 in the North Sea, on the Merman's front? It was 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:08.299 up there in North Atlantic, yes. It was up somewhere 00:16:08.299 --> 00:16:13.679 off the, between, well, like south of Iceland, 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:16.059 a little bit southeast of Iceland, where it happened. 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:19.779 But we got everybody off before they had to hit 00:16:19.779 --> 00:16:22.929 the water. I'm sure they were pleased with that. 00:16:23.149 --> 00:16:24.429 That water's cold up there. We played ball in 00:16:24.429 --> 00:16:26.690 New Hebrides. We played in the Fiji Islands. 00:16:27.769 --> 00:16:30.649 And the CBs, of course, the CBs got started down 00:16:30.649 --> 00:16:33.769 there near Ocean View at Little Creek, Little 00:16:33.769 --> 00:16:35.309 Creek, Virginia, when they started. They had 00:16:35.309 --> 00:16:37.769 their first CB base. Then they started. They 00:16:37.769 --> 00:16:39.750 opened up a couple more for training purposes. 00:16:40.330 --> 00:16:42.029 One of them was on the west coast, and another 00:16:42.029 --> 00:16:45.789 one I think was in Bainbridge, Maryland. But 00:16:45.789 --> 00:16:48.940 the CBs did a tremendous job. in the Pacific. 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:50.460 I didn't know anything about what they did in 00:16:50.460 --> 00:16:52.460 the lag. They did a tremendous job in the Pacific 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:56.139 on all those islands going in and sea carrying 00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:59.720 them and helping build up the bases that we needed 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:05.480 for staging bases to win that war on the Pacific. 00:17:05.660 --> 00:17:09.359 The CBs certainly were a very big part of winning 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:11.859 that war. Well, they set quite a standard for 00:17:11.859 --> 00:17:18.339 us guys that came along later to follow. Just 00:17:18.339 --> 00:17:20.779 one last question about that North Sea. Now, 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:24.920 you were on the Murmansk Run. That weather is 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:28.900 terrible up there. What was your job on Alabama? 00:17:29.099 --> 00:17:30.940 Well, I was a gun captain. I was on the anti 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:33.759 -aircraft guns. And we were on the main deck, 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:37.240 on the port side of the main deck, about three 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:39.500 -fourths of the way back to the third turret, 00:17:39.619 --> 00:17:45.730 just near the third turret, on a fan tail. it 00:17:45.730 --> 00:17:49.690 was cold it was windy and it was wet and uh... 00:17:49.690 --> 00:17:52.930 it was uh... quite tough pretty tough doing restarting 00:17:52.930 --> 00:17:54.990 four we were sending four -hour watches four 00:17:54.990 --> 00:17:57.670 hours of the time with about twenty a month twenty 00:17:57.670 --> 00:18:01.529 five men on the gun and uh... at each and all 00:18:01.529 --> 00:18:03.789 of them forty millimeter quads which i was on 00:18:03.789 --> 00:18:07.930 okay uh... and uh... sometimes we had to secure 00:18:07.930 --> 00:18:10.490 the gun the weather was really too tough he couldn't 00:18:10.490 --> 00:18:13.730 uh... The waves were too high, it was too wet 00:18:13.730 --> 00:18:18.049 and too cold and too much ice. But the destroyers, 00:18:18.089 --> 00:18:20.210 of course, it was tough for the destroyers because 00:18:20.210 --> 00:18:22.049 they had to chip ice all the time. The battleship 00:18:22.049 --> 00:18:25.049 didn't have to chip the ice. And we did have 00:18:25.049 --> 00:18:27.109 aircraft cover, of course, and then the German 00:18:27.109 --> 00:18:28.569 planes would come out every now and then take 00:18:28.569 --> 00:18:30.410 a look and see where we were, what we were doing. 00:18:31.390 --> 00:18:34.089 Of course, you'd take a shot at them and hit 00:18:34.089 --> 00:18:39.170 one once in a while, but not too often. After 00:18:39.170 --> 00:18:42.109 we finished, we got rid of the Von Tirpitz, the 00:18:42.109 --> 00:18:44.650 battleship Tirpitz, we call it the Tirpitz. It 00:18:44.650 --> 00:18:47.930 was hiding in Fjord in Norway, north of Trondheim, 00:18:48.529 --> 00:18:51.450 and the British helped take it with their bombers. 00:18:51.569 --> 00:18:54.869 We shelled it and torpedoed it, and that was 00:18:54.869 --> 00:18:56.430 the last ship the Germans had. Then they went 00:18:56.430 --> 00:18:59.789 to the Pacific. But it was 11 months taking supplies 00:18:59.789 --> 00:19:04.630 to Murmansk and Archangel. through the ice and 00:19:04.630 --> 00:19:07.250 we had icebreakers and so forth before the big 00:19:07.250 --> 00:19:10.289 Russian icebreakers took us right into the ports. 00:19:10.890 --> 00:19:12.910 But then the Pacific was all the way across the 00:19:12.910 --> 00:19:19.509 equator 28 times in 1944. In our natural operations, 00:19:20.150 --> 00:19:22.670 we tried to catch the Jap fleet and went back 00:19:22.670 --> 00:19:26.150 to the Pacific. The Japanese had quite a fleet 00:19:26.150 --> 00:19:29.490 too. In fact, theirs was a bit larger than ours, 00:19:29.569 --> 00:19:32.619 wasn't it, at one point? I didn't get that. I 00:19:32.619 --> 00:19:35.200 said the Japanese fleet was a bit larger than 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:38.619 ours at one point, wasn't it? Well, the new battleships, 00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:41.319 the ships that were hit at Pearl Harbor under 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:43.759 attack on Pearl Harbor, the battleships, they 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:46.359 were World War I vessels. They were not as good 00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:50.140 as the Japanese battleships. But the new battleships, 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:54.779 like the Alabama and the Wisconsin and New Jersey 00:19:54.779 --> 00:19:58.279 and the Missouri and the Iowa and South Dakota 00:19:58.279 --> 00:20:05.500 and... In Massachusetts, Indiana, and North Carolina, 00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:08.200 our new battleships were better than the Japanese, 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:11.279 and that's why we won the war. We had very good 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:14.660 cooperation and very good teamwork, too, from 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:18.380 all the sailors. We had a great admiral out there 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:20.980 in the Pacific, too. It was Admiral Nemitz, who 00:20:20.980 --> 00:20:24.460 was based in Honolulu. We had Admiral Michener. 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:27.670 We had good captains aboard our ships. We had 00:20:27.670 --> 00:20:31.670 great teamwork, and teamwork won that war. And 00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:35.750 your ship was looking, your task force was always 00:20:35.750 --> 00:20:38.269 looking for the Japanese. Now you never saw them 00:20:38.269 --> 00:20:41.609 in a surface battle, but you had quite a few 00:20:41.609 --> 00:20:45.230 encounters being attacked by air. Is that not 00:20:45.230 --> 00:20:47.569 right? We had air attacks, and we were involved 00:20:47.569 --> 00:20:49.450 in that Mariana, what you call the Mariana, a 00:20:49.450 --> 00:20:51.769 Turkey shoot off a side pan in the Philippine 00:20:51.769 --> 00:20:57.029 Sea. We shot 474, I believe, Japanese aircraft 00:20:57.029 --> 00:21:00.009 down in one day. Our fighters got a lot of them, 00:21:00.049 --> 00:21:03.950 and our aircraft batteries got them. That was 00:21:03.950 --> 00:21:05.789 what they called the Marianas -Turkey shoot, 00:21:05.849 --> 00:21:07.730 and that was the end of the Japanese Naval Air 00:21:07.730 --> 00:21:10.789 Force. We sunk a couple of their carriers, maybe 00:21:10.789 --> 00:21:15.710 three of them, and other warships, cruisers, 00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:17.789 et cetera. I don't think we sunk any battleships. 00:21:17.930 --> 00:21:20.210 We might have damaged a couple of them. But that 00:21:20.210 --> 00:21:22.670 was what they called, referred to in the Navy 00:21:22.670 --> 00:21:24.549 as the Marianas Turkey shoot and that was the 00:21:24.549 --> 00:21:26.730 end of the Japanese Naval Air Force. I think 00:21:26.730 --> 00:21:28.609 you sunk... The sun went down that day. It was 00:21:28.609 --> 00:21:32.150 in June 1944. I think you sunk three carriers 00:21:32.150 --> 00:21:36.950 and damaged the fourth one. Well, we did a lot 00:21:36.950 --> 00:21:39.109 of damage and that was the end of the Japanese 00:21:39.109 --> 00:21:42.190 Naval Air Force. And they knew then, they knew 00:21:42.190 --> 00:21:44.750 when the sun went down that night, their officers 00:21:44.750 --> 00:21:47.829 knew that the naval war was over and they lost. 00:21:48.230 --> 00:21:50.490 Let me ask you this, when you're under air attack 00:21:50.490 --> 00:21:53.049 like that, you've got every gun firing, I imagine, 00:21:53.130 --> 00:21:56.130 at least on that side of the ship. What was the 00:21:56.130 --> 00:21:58.190 noise like, and what was the feeling like, or 00:21:58.190 --> 00:22:00.309 were you just too busy to have feelings at that 00:22:00.309 --> 00:22:01.990 moment? Well, that's about it. You're just too 00:22:01.990 --> 00:22:03.769 busy. There's a lot of noise, of course, and 00:22:03.769 --> 00:22:07.710 a lot of firing, and a lot of smoke, and a lot 00:22:07.710 --> 00:22:11.990 of tracer bullets flying around. And you always 00:22:11.990 --> 00:22:14.230 think that none of those bullets have got your 00:22:14.230 --> 00:22:15.710 name on them. They've got the other guy's name 00:22:15.710 --> 00:22:18.190 on them. Course, you know, you know reading though 00:22:18.190 --> 00:22:19.930 in your own heart. You might find one that has 00:22:19.930 --> 00:22:23.269 your name on it If one has your name on it, you're 00:22:23.269 --> 00:22:25.009 a hero if it doesn't have you're a survivor. 00:22:25.009 --> 00:22:28.930 That's the way it is You just described it quite 00:22:28.930 --> 00:22:31.710 well on the way over to Vietnam I was looking 00:22:31.710 --> 00:22:33.589 at the rest of my squad and I thought gee I wonder 00:22:33.589 --> 00:22:35.509 if any of these guys are gonna get it thought 00:22:35.509 --> 00:22:41.109 never occurred that it might be me but the When 00:22:41.109 --> 00:22:44.170 you I want to go back to baseball just a moment 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:47.900 When you signed, you were 16 years old. Gordie 00:22:47.900 --> 00:22:50.140 Howe, the great hockey player for Detroit, signed 00:22:50.140 --> 00:22:55.480 for a team jacket. You got a dollar in an autographed 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:58.420 baseball. You were 16. You could have broken 00:22:58.420 --> 00:23:01.359 that contract the next year. I still have the 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:04.660 original contract written on a piece of stationary 00:23:04.660 --> 00:23:07.299 from a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. I'm from near 00:23:07.299 --> 00:23:09.519 Des Moines, Van Meter, which is 15 miles west 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:12.220 of Des Moines. And I got a dollar in an autographed 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:14.079 ball by the Cleveland Indians and signed with 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:16.480 Sy Slapnacka. He also signed three players like 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.660 Lou Boudreau and Mel Harder and Trostky and Herb 00:23:19.660 --> 00:23:22.079 Scorer and. Great names. Most of all the Cleveland 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:25.119 players, he was then became general manager and 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:28.779 he was a man I was looking, seen in Chicago on 00:23:28.779 --> 00:23:31.420 the night of December 7th to sign my 42 contract. 00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:33.640 I told him I was going to join the Navy. He said, 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:36.799 congratulations. I'm going to go back to Cleveland, 00:23:36.819 --> 00:23:38.920 resign. I'm tired of being general manager. He's 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:41.660 there six years. I'm going to go back to scouting 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:44.960 in Cedar Rapids, so I did that and went back 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:47.440 to scouting in Cedar Rapids. It was a different 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:50.500 era then, and people had different values. Well, 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:52.319 the values were completely different. We had 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:54.240 a lot better leadership than we have today. In 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:55.900 fact, we don't have any leadership today that 00:23:55.900 --> 00:23:58.299 I care for at all. We could spend a lot of time 00:23:58.299 --> 00:24:05.119 talking about that. Except Bob, the head of the 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:08.400 Pentagon now. Bob Gates, he's a very good leader, 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:10.339 but he's about the only one I know of in Washington 00:24:10.339 --> 00:24:15.599 at the moment that I trust. Had you broken that 00:24:15.599 --> 00:24:18.319 contract, you could have gotten, according to 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:20.720 some sources, $100 ,000. Well, obviously, illegally, 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:23.140 like most, a lot of players are signed that way. 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:28.539 And those minor league teams had territorial 00:24:28.539 --> 00:24:30.859 rights to sign all the free agents in their area, 00:24:31.339 --> 00:24:33.079 but all the major league scouts were cheating 00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:38.089 and using false names. Saturday to sign the players 00:24:38.089 --> 00:24:40.690 would I've as many to stay with the Cleveland 00:24:40.690 --> 00:24:43.089 ball club They changed that rule a few months 00:24:43.089 --> 00:24:48.210 a few weeks later in the winter of 1937 and the 00:24:48.210 --> 00:24:50.710 major league meeting thing There is no more territorial 00:24:50.710 --> 00:24:53.589 rights for minor league ball clubs to sign players 00:24:53.589 --> 00:24:55.650 and sell them to the big league clubs who finance 00:24:55.650 --> 00:24:59.869 them And you never looked back after you got 00:24:59.869 --> 00:25:02.549 the dollar when some sources said you could have 00:25:02.549 --> 00:25:05.630 got $100 ,000 the next year. Well, that was the 00:25:05.630 --> 00:25:07.910 American way of doing things. It was opportunity. 00:25:09.390 --> 00:25:12.289 I had the opportunity to make good, which luckily 00:25:12.289 --> 00:25:16.509 I was able to do. I had a lot of help, of course, 00:25:16.890 --> 00:25:20.930 from my parents and the coaches and the teammates. 00:25:21.589 --> 00:25:26.119 I was lucky enough to have a good career. I'm 00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:28.240 very happy today being here in Arizona with the 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:31.240 Cleveland Baseball Club working out in a beautiful 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:33.339 complex here in Goodyear, Arizona, right near 00:25:33.339 --> 00:25:35.480 Phoenix. I understand you threw out the first 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:39.200 pitch for their new ballpark. I was one of the 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:40.940 first pitchers. There's a couple other people 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:45.059 threw in the mayor and one of the sponsors threw 00:25:45.059 --> 00:25:47.299 out the first pitch. I threw out the last first 00:25:47.299 --> 00:25:51.480 pitch in uniform, of course, the Cleveland Indian 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:54.000 uniform. That's great. It's a big honor and I 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:56.579 do appreciate it. They're doing a good job for 00:25:56.579 --> 00:25:58.940 us here in Goodyear, and we're drawing quite 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:02.380 well, and we've got a state -of -the -art facility. 00:26:03.059 --> 00:26:05.579 I'll be here until April 1st with my wife Anne. 00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:08.440 Go back to Cleveland after April 1st when training 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:11.859 closes up. We're coming up on the first break, 00:26:12.259 --> 00:26:14.680 Bob, and I just want to mention one thing before 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:17.279 we come up on the break. Your dad is the guy 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:20.299 that got you pitching, you know, tossing the 00:26:20.299 --> 00:26:22.539 ball back and forth, and he built a ball diamond 00:26:22.539 --> 00:26:25.750 that with the stands... Yes, my father built 00:26:25.750 --> 00:26:27.369 the ball and I've been on the farm and I'm on 00:26:27.369 --> 00:26:29.970 the Oakview team. We were there four years. Of 00:26:29.970 --> 00:26:31.569 course, I played four years of American Legion 00:26:31.569 --> 00:26:34.549 ball. I played on the Samurai Pro High School, 00:26:34.930 --> 00:26:37.329 summer vacation Bible school. I've been playing 00:26:37.329 --> 00:26:39.970 ball ever since I was nine years old. Okay, real 00:26:39.970 --> 00:26:43.069 good. Well, we're coming on the break and we'll 00:26:43.069 --> 00:26:45.710 be right back right after this. And you're listening 00:26:45.710 --> 00:26:49.299 to Veterans Radio. The Medal of Honor is the 00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:51.500 highest award for valor in combat given a member 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:53.700 of the Armed Forces of the United States. There 00:26:53.700 --> 00:26:56.700 had been over 3 ,400 recipients of the nation's 00:26:56.700 --> 00:27:00.700 highest award. This is one of them. Captain Edward 00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:03.079 Alworth led his men across the river by swimming 00:27:03.079 --> 00:27:06.180 it. Details? While his company was crossing a 00:27:06.180 --> 00:27:08.200 French river and canal at a bridge at during 00:27:08.200 --> 00:27:11.180 World War I, the bridge was destroyed by shell 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:13.819 fire. At Alworth's command became separated, 00:27:14.259 --> 00:27:16.200 part of it being on the east bank of the canal. 00:27:16.490 --> 00:27:19.829 and the remainder on the west bank. Seeing his 00:27:19.829 --> 00:27:22.009 advance units making slow headway up the steep 00:27:22.009 --> 00:27:24.769 slope ahead, he mounted the canal bank and called 00:27:24.769 --> 00:27:28.369 for his men to follow. Plunging in, he swam across 00:27:28.369 --> 00:27:30.710 the canal under fire from the enemy, followed 00:27:30.710 --> 00:27:34.529 by his men. Inspiring his men, he led them up 00:27:34.529 --> 00:27:36.569 the slope, joining his hard -pressed platoons 00:27:36.569 --> 00:27:39.789 in front. By his personal leadership, he forced 00:27:39.789 --> 00:27:42.490 the enemy back for more than a kilometer, overcoming 00:27:42.490 --> 00:27:45.250 machine gun nests and capturing 100 prisoners. 00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:47.759 whose number exceeded that of the men in his 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:50.380 command. The exceptional courage and leadership 00:27:50.380 --> 00:27:53.240 displayed by Alworth made possible the reestablishment 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:55.700 of a bridgehead over the canal and the successful 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:58.799 advance of other troops. The Medal of Honor series 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:01.380 is a production of Veterans Radio. And we're 00:28:01.380 --> 00:28:03.559 back on Veterans Radio. We're talking to Bob 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:07.500 Feller, Hall of Fame baseball player known as 00:28:07.500 --> 00:28:10.839 Rapid Robert and Bullet Bob for his 100 mile 00:28:10.839 --> 00:28:14.960 an hour plus fastball. You were clocked right 00:28:14.960 --> 00:28:17.240 after the war when they finally had radar. How 00:28:17.240 --> 00:28:20.460 fast was your fastball, Bob? Well, they clocked 00:28:20.460 --> 00:28:23.579 me. It was a fully electric cell device from 00:28:23.579 --> 00:28:25.539 the Aberdeen Ordnance Plant Aberdeen, Maryland. 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:27.880 They called it the Proving Grounds, Military 00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:32.200 Proving Grounds. They tracked it in 1946 in Washington, 00:28:32.339 --> 00:28:35.640 D .C. With that equipment, it was 100 to 7 .9. 00:28:37.950 --> 00:28:40.150 You couldn't maintain that during a game. Maybe 00:28:40.150 --> 00:28:43.549 you could maintain 103 or 105 on a good day. 00:28:43.990 --> 00:28:46.490 It would be a little better occasionally. But 00:28:46.490 --> 00:28:50.650 I had a good curve ball. But the fast ball has 00:28:50.650 --> 00:28:52.170 to have some movement on it. It doesn't have 00:28:52.170 --> 00:28:55.089 movement on it no matter how hard you throw it. 00:28:56.430 --> 00:28:58.430 It's not going to fool the hitter yet to have 00:28:58.430 --> 00:29:00.990 some movement on the ball. And did yours move? 00:29:02.230 --> 00:29:04.470 Everybody in America is all about speed. And 00:29:04.470 --> 00:29:07.529 speed, of course, is important. And control has 00:29:07.529 --> 00:29:10.869 to have a big, control is a big factor also. 00:29:11.990 --> 00:29:14.390 And that was one thing that you were known as 00:29:14.390 --> 00:29:16.049 for getting a little wild every now and then. 00:29:16.049 --> 00:29:17.769 Do you think that helped you with the strikeouts? 00:29:18.309 --> 00:29:20.769 I mean, who? Almost all fastball pitchers have 00:29:20.769 --> 00:29:23.569 a little wildness. Have you have a big wind up 00:29:23.569 --> 00:29:25.789 and you have a lot of motion and you have a lot 00:29:25.789 --> 00:29:29.309 of leg action. You can't be a dart thrower out 00:29:29.309 --> 00:29:31.450 there when you're throwing real hard using an 00:29:31.450 --> 00:29:35.109 awful lot of body strength to propel the baseball. 00:29:35.969 --> 00:29:38.369 Most fastball pitchers walk quite a few hitters 00:29:38.369 --> 00:29:42.130 and they foul off a lot of them. I was right 00:29:42.130 --> 00:29:44.109 amongst them and throwing and walking a lot of 00:29:44.109 --> 00:29:46.950 hitters when I first came up. Then after I gained 00:29:46.950 --> 00:29:50.630 my control, it was much easier and made the game 00:29:50.630 --> 00:29:54.809 much easier for me. I imagine as a batter I wouldn't 00:29:54.809 --> 00:29:57.190 want to dig in too much. Those were the days 00:29:57.190 --> 00:29:59.390 before they had helmets and of course the batters 00:29:59.390 --> 00:30:02.130 were a little bit apprehensive and maybe a little 00:30:02.130 --> 00:30:04.150 bit afraid of some of the wildest of some of 00:30:04.150 --> 00:30:07.619 the pitchers. Well, with good cause. If you don't 00:30:07.619 --> 00:30:09.140 have a helmet on, you're going to be a little 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:11.099 loose up there at the plate. You got some wild 00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:14.559 guy out here on the mound. But it did help, probably 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:17.980 indirectly. I remember one Detroit Tiger game 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:20.259 when they were playing against Noel and Ryan. 00:30:20.859 --> 00:30:23.299 Gates Brown was a great hitter, became a batting 00:30:23.299 --> 00:30:25.869 coach afterwards. uh... he got up against ryan 00:30:25.869 --> 00:30:28.210 and he struck out and as he was walking past 00:30:28.210 --> 00:30:31.089 jim bunning or not jim bunning jim northrup who 00:30:31.089 --> 00:30:33.710 was going up next northrup asked him how's he 00:30:33.710 --> 00:30:37.630 throwing and gator said don't go up there you 00:30:37.630 --> 00:30:41.529 were compared well those are jokes but you were 00:30:41.529 --> 00:30:44.269 compared to nolan ralph those rainy day stories 00:30:44.269 --> 00:30:46.069 everywhere and they may be true and they may 00:30:46.069 --> 00:30:49.170 not be but i think it's possible and there's 00:30:49.170 --> 00:30:51.250 a lot of funny things happening in the game baseball 00:30:51.250 --> 00:30:55.150 baseball is a game of inches is your fair, foul, 00:30:55.990 --> 00:30:59.230 or ball, or strike, et cetera, et cetera. And 00:30:59.230 --> 00:31:02.490 almost all sports are gains of inches, and there's 00:31:02.490 --> 00:31:04.890 a lot of luck involved in professional sports, 00:31:05.009 --> 00:31:08.289 as well as amateur. If you're lucky, in a lot 00:31:08.289 --> 00:31:09.890 of cases, you're going to have a better career. 00:31:10.589 --> 00:31:12.369 Some days you're lucky, and some days you're 00:31:12.369 --> 00:31:15.670 not. And you're going to have good days, and 00:31:15.670 --> 00:31:17.930 you're going to have bad days, and you have to 00:31:17.930 --> 00:31:20.519 be able to accept that. And to give the other 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:22.400 fellows some credit. Give the other fellows some 00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:28.640 credit also. They're all pros. Some players played 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:32.220 against you and also played against Ryan. Have 00:31:32.220 --> 00:31:34.559 you ever heard any of them make any comparisons? 00:31:35.660 --> 00:31:39.160 They what? Some batters batted against you and 00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:41.599 they also batted against Nolan Ryan. Have you 00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:44.000 ever heard of any of them making a comparison? 00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:47.569 I don't. I would not know of any hero that ever 00:31:47.569 --> 00:31:49.970 hit against me in my prime and ever hit against 00:31:49.970 --> 00:31:53.109 Nolan Ryan. I don't think that's possible and 00:31:53.109 --> 00:31:56.670 I'm not going to buy that at all. I don't think 00:31:56.670 --> 00:32:00.730 that's true. Never said that. I don't think it 00:32:00.730 --> 00:32:15.819 was new when our career started and ended. You 00:32:15.819 --> 00:32:20.880 won, not won, your ship was awarded Battlestars 00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:25.420 and as you would get them too. How proud of you? 00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:27.319 Have I already asked you that about the... Well, 00:32:27.319 --> 00:32:30.519 I'm satisfied with my decision I made on December 00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:33.339 7th to join the Navy. I planned on joining the 00:32:33.339 --> 00:32:35.819 Navy back in 1939. I knew we were going to be 00:32:35.819 --> 00:32:38.799 in the war, it's a matter of when. And I told, 00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:41.680 I was told, I came in as a Chief Cadet Officer 00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:49.369 and went right on into Norfolk. I was always 00:32:49.369 --> 00:32:53.269 the chief from the day one when I swore in. And 00:32:53.269 --> 00:32:55.690 that was what Jane Toney, the director of the 00:32:55.690 --> 00:32:59.769 athletic department of the Navy, gave me because 00:32:59.769 --> 00:33:03.289 of my enlistment. And I was in the Navy four 00:33:03.289 --> 00:33:06.130 years and two days as far as, even though I say 00:33:06.130 --> 00:33:10.160 in active duty. for two and a half months just 00:33:10.160 --> 00:33:13.500 when the war was over and in late August 1945 00:33:13.500 --> 00:33:16.440 went back to Cleveland and continued my career 00:33:16.440 --> 00:33:19.859 and then and I had my best year like in my career 00:33:19.859 --> 00:33:24.000 and the next near 1946 was my best year. Just 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:26.660 out of curiosity what did a chief petty officer 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:29.240 make in those days? Do you recall? I think we 00:33:29.240 --> 00:33:31.180 got about 80 some dollars a month and then of 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:34.039 course C -Pay and combat duty he probably got 00:33:34.039 --> 00:33:38.470 probably about double in the 160s perhaps. for 00:33:38.470 --> 00:33:42.289 months, but nobody thought about that. We had 00:33:42.289 --> 00:33:44.130 unrelenting resolve that we were going to have 00:33:44.130 --> 00:33:46.289 to win the war. Right. I mean, that's about what 00:33:46.289 --> 00:33:48.390 I was making. It was a war that had to be won, 00:33:48.390 --> 00:33:51.970 otherwise it was Hitler and the Axis would have 00:33:51.970 --> 00:33:58.089 dominated the world. It was a war that we had, 00:33:58.470 --> 00:34:02.170 not only in the military, but at home, in the 00:34:02.170 --> 00:34:05.259 factories and on the farms. all over the United 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:07.119 States we had on rounding result. We're going 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:10.199 to win it and they helped. Cooperation and everybody 00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:13.340 had, we had good leadership in the military as 00:34:13.340 --> 00:34:18.199 well as politically and in every way we had great 00:34:18.199 --> 00:34:20.119 leadership in those days. That's why we won the 00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:24.039 war. And the people tend to think, OK, we saved 00:34:24.039 --> 00:34:26.300 the United States. I mean, it was truly saving 00:34:26.300 --> 00:34:27.940 the world. There's a lot of countries that are 00:34:27.940 --> 00:34:30.199 free today because of what you guys did in World 00:34:30.199 --> 00:34:32.980 War II. Actually, the United States won that 00:34:32.980 --> 00:34:35.940 war for the rest of the world. If it hadn't been 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:37.940 for the United States, that war would have been 00:34:37.940 --> 00:34:41.139 lost, and we all know that. I have several Australian 00:34:41.139 --> 00:34:43.219 friends who are Vietnam veterans who say the 00:34:43.219 --> 00:34:47.030 same thing that you just said. The well we were 00:34:47.030 --> 00:34:50.030 I was in Vietnam in 1969 with General Creighton 00:34:50.030 --> 00:34:52.630 Abrams and then also with General William our 00:34:52.630 --> 00:34:54.650 borough head is a green breeze I spent several 00:34:54.650 --> 00:34:57.570 months over there building a fire bases in the 00:34:57.570 --> 00:34:59.989 pacification centers and flying the unit helicopters 00:34:59.989 --> 00:35:02.349 all over the Country all the way from Da Nang 00:35:02.349 --> 00:35:06.190 down to the men to the Minkong Delta I was there 00:35:06.190 --> 00:35:09.269 that I saw was going on over there and it was 00:35:09.269 --> 00:35:11.550 when Johnson with President Johnson was there 00:35:11.550 --> 00:35:13.309 and back to mirror was head of their defense 00:35:13.309 --> 00:35:16.670 department We could have won that war if they 00:35:16.670 --> 00:35:19.550 had let them. They just wouldn't do it. They 00:35:19.550 --> 00:35:22.110 wouldn't generally do what they wanted to do, 00:35:22.309 --> 00:35:26.809 because you know what's more, and the two bombed 00:35:26.809 --> 00:35:30.590 the supply ships up in Hanoi. If they had bombed 00:35:30.590 --> 00:35:32.429 the supply ships, they could have won that war, 00:35:32.650 --> 00:35:35.630 but they wouldn't let them do it. It's hard to 00:35:35.630 --> 00:35:37.309 win a war when you're afraid somebody's going 00:35:37.309 --> 00:35:39.880 to get mad at you for it. I had their hands tied 00:35:39.880 --> 00:35:42.400 behind their back. That was a problem. One of 00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:45.280 the partners here on Veterans Radio is Dale Throneberry, 00:35:45.420 --> 00:35:47.679 who was a helicopter pilot at the same time that 00:35:47.679 --> 00:35:49.539 you were there. Dale, would you like to say hi 00:35:49.539 --> 00:35:52.079 to Bob Feller? Hi, Mr. Feller. It's a pleasure 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:54.840 to talk to you. Well, everybody knew that that 00:35:54.840 --> 00:35:57.219 was a war. They didn't want to win if they were 00:35:57.219 --> 00:35:59.119 afraid of the Chinese or whatever. I don't know 00:35:59.119 --> 00:36:03.000 what they were afraid of, but it was a lot of 00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:06.719 bad judgment. Washington is the one that caused 00:36:06.719 --> 00:36:09.630 it to lose that war. If we lost it, which I think 00:36:09.630 --> 00:36:15.989 we did. We had over 50 ,000 men over there dead. 00:36:16.829 --> 00:36:18.809 What a waste. What a waste to not be able to 00:36:18.809 --> 00:36:22.190 win. Mr. Feller, this is Dale Thromberg and one 00:36:22.190 --> 00:36:25.030 of the other sponsors or the other speakers on 00:36:25.030 --> 00:36:28.190 Veterans Radio. And I wanted to ask you about 00:36:28.190 --> 00:36:30.630 some of the other ball players that were with 00:36:30.630 --> 00:36:32.570 you during World War II that you can remember. 00:36:33.070 --> 00:36:36.230 We're old enough in here to remember you. and 00:36:36.230 --> 00:36:39.769 Ted Williams and some of the other players. And 00:36:39.769 --> 00:36:41.610 I was wondering if you could tell us about some 00:36:41.610 --> 00:36:43.170 of the other ballplayers that were in World War 00:36:43.170 --> 00:36:44.329 II. Well, there were a lot of ballplayers. There 00:36:44.329 --> 00:36:45.969 were a lot of minor leaguers as well as major 00:36:45.969 --> 00:36:48.190 leaguers. And there were about two or three major 00:36:48.190 --> 00:36:50.269 leaguers that got killed in World War II in the 00:36:50.269 --> 00:36:53.190 combat. Ted Williams did not get into combat 00:36:53.190 --> 00:36:57.530 in World War II. He and his squadron, with John 00:36:57.530 --> 00:36:59.650 Glenn, got to Honolulu. The war was over. They 00:36:59.650 --> 00:37:01.429 never were in combat. They got into combat in 00:37:01.429 --> 00:37:06.369 Korea, where Ted did two 39 missions. And Lew 00:37:06.369 --> 00:37:10.409 Bursi was in combat in Europe, and so was many, 00:37:10.409 --> 00:37:14.570 many others. And Courtney Warren spawned, and 00:37:14.570 --> 00:37:18.550 other lesser -known names were in the Battle 00:37:18.550 --> 00:37:25.010 of the Bulge, or in Italy, or in France, and 00:37:25.010 --> 00:37:28.469 on the beaches over there when they invaded. 00:37:29.090 --> 00:37:36.250 And in the Navy, of course, in the Pacific. uh... 00:37:36.250 --> 00:37:38.530 elmer gideon got killed in the war he was from 00:37:38.530 --> 00:37:40.449 cleveland ohio he was playing for washington 00:37:40.449 --> 00:37:43.650 d .c. uh... barry o 'neill was carry o 'neill 00:37:43.650 --> 00:37:48.530 paid for ball and war got killed we're coming 00:37:48.530 --> 00:37:53.210 up to a break our last break i'm not going to 00:37:53.210 --> 00:37:54.670 go through any more break i'm all through with 00:37:54.670 --> 00:37:57.530 you uh... could you hang on then for just a few 00:37:57.530 --> 00:38:02.070 minutes i'm not going to go any longer Bob Feller, 00:38:02.289 --> 00:38:04.110 Hall of Fame pitcher, thank you very much for 00:38:04.110 --> 00:38:06.309 being on Veterans Radio. We're back on Veterans 00:38:06.309 --> 00:38:08.710 Radio. Dale Throneberry and I were still laughing 00:38:08.710 --> 00:38:15.690 over Bob Feller's farewell speech. Well, we told 00:38:15.690 --> 00:38:17.449 you he was on a time schedule. We just didn't 00:38:17.449 --> 00:38:20.889 know it ended that quickly. It's a funny thing 00:38:20.889 --> 00:38:23.769 because that is typical of a lot of farmers. 00:38:26.800 --> 00:38:30.519 abrupt but you know they're outspoken and they 00:38:30.519 --> 00:38:33.760 have just a way of talking that makes me laugh. 00:38:34.179 --> 00:38:37.659 I was doing an appraisal for a farmer many years 00:38:37.659 --> 00:38:41.539 ago back when prices were cheaper and he asked 00:38:41.539 --> 00:38:43.260 me what I thought it was worth and I said about 00:38:43.260 --> 00:38:45.960 a thousand dollars an acre and he had an 80 on 00:38:45.960 --> 00:38:48.519 one side of the road and a 30 on acre parcel 00:38:48.519 --> 00:38:50.599 on the other side of the road and he said well 00:38:50.599 --> 00:38:54.639 just last spring a builder came up and he Told 00:38:54.639 --> 00:38:57.260 me that he'd paid me $2 ,000 an acre for that 00:38:57.260 --> 00:39:01.360 30 across the road And I asked why didn't you 00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:03.559 take it and he thought for a second. He said 00:39:03.559 --> 00:39:07.739 son. That was the day that two fools met Yeah, 00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:09.619 you know, it was interesting listening to Bob 00:39:09.619 --> 00:39:12.760 Feller I think I told you the other day that 00:39:12.760 --> 00:39:14.820 When I heard her first heard his voice I said 00:39:14.820 --> 00:39:17.019 I recognize that voice and I had heard it when 00:39:17.019 --> 00:39:19.760 I was a kid I guess he'd done an interview or 00:39:19.760 --> 00:39:22.900 something in and on a sports program and it you 00:39:22.900 --> 00:39:25.429 know, he just He just says exactly what he thinks. 00:39:25.730 --> 00:39:27.469 I think what's interesting is a couple of things 00:39:27.469 --> 00:39:30.329 that we were talking about earlier is his dad 00:39:30.329 --> 00:39:35.130 had built the ball field for him and had charged 00:39:35.130 --> 00:39:37.170 admission actually for people to come and watch 00:39:37.170 --> 00:39:41.170 these teams during the Depression. And I was 00:39:41.170 --> 00:39:42.730 wondering, we didn't get a chance to ask the 00:39:42.730 --> 00:39:45.750 question, if the baseball diamond from Field 00:39:45.750 --> 00:39:48.570 of Dreams, which was built over on the east side 00:39:48.570 --> 00:39:53.199 of Iowa, was motivated by Bob Feller's dad on 00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:56.000 the west side of the state. Well that's a great 00:39:56.000 --> 00:39:59.860 thought because he had bleachers there and charged 00:39:59.860 --> 00:40:04.500 35 cents admission for those games and had as 00:40:04.500 --> 00:40:06.760 many as a thousand people show up. That was before 00:40:06.760 --> 00:40:09.219 his pro career. I think that 35 cents was probably 00:40:09.219 --> 00:40:10.739 more than it costs to get into a Yankee game. 00:40:11.299 --> 00:40:14.460 probably, and if you think a thousand people 00:40:14.460 --> 00:40:17.380 out in farmland in those days, a lot of them 00:40:17.380 --> 00:40:19.619 traveled from a great distance. I think it's 00:40:19.619 --> 00:40:21.380 one of the things we want to point out, especially 00:40:21.380 --> 00:40:24.260 to our listeners, to motivate you to go back 00:40:24.260 --> 00:40:27.239 and talk to any World War II veterans that you 00:40:27.239 --> 00:40:29.420 may know of and get their thoughts down, because 00:40:29.670 --> 00:40:32.210 There was so many questions after listening to 00:40:32.210 --> 00:40:34.210 his interview that I thought, I mean, his physical 00:40:34.210 --> 00:40:37.349 trainer in the Navy was Gene Tunney, who was, 00:40:37.429 --> 00:40:39.309 I believe, a heavyweight champion of the world. 00:40:39.429 --> 00:40:41.050 Didn't he fight Jack Dempsey or something? Some 00:40:41.050 --> 00:40:44.590 famous bout that I remember hearing. I remember 00:40:44.590 --> 00:40:47.710 him as a champion boxer, and I can't remember 00:40:47.710 --> 00:40:49.849 the details. There was something about either 00:40:49.849 --> 00:40:51.449 Dempsey won or Tunney won or something, and the 00:40:51.449 --> 00:40:54.260 guy goes... Tony is your Dempsey's down Dempsey's 00:40:54.260 --> 00:40:56.719 I remember hearing the radio broadcast of that 00:40:56.719 --> 00:40:58.719 But you know to find out these things the other 00:40:58.719 --> 00:41:00.820 question I had since you're in the Navy I wanted 00:41:00.820 --> 00:41:03.699 to know what exactly is a fantail. Do you know 00:41:03.699 --> 00:41:06.019 the fantail? Yeah, what is that back end of the 00:41:06.019 --> 00:41:08.480 ship? Well, I thought that was the stern. Well, 00:41:08.619 --> 00:41:11.019 yeah, but the fantail I think is the part that 00:41:11.019 --> 00:41:14.460 hangs over I was a seabee, I never stepped foot 00:41:14.460 --> 00:41:16.440 on a ship. You know, on the back end of a ship, 00:41:16.599 --> 00:41:18.139 there's part of it that hangs over, I believe 00:41:18.139 --> 00:41:21.199 that's the fan tale. Okay, well again, encouraging 00:41:21.199 --> 00:41:23.340 people to go out there and get these stories 00:41:23.340 --> 00:41:26.280 down. The other thing we talked about, can you 00:41:26.280 --> 00:41:31.710 imagine... in one of those inter service games 00:41:31.710 --> 00:41:34.949 Bob Feller pitching against you at 107 miles 00:41:34.949 --> 00:41:37.369 an hour which today is unheard of and we get 00:41:37.369 --> 00:41:39.190 all excited here in the Detroit area when one 00:41:39.190 --> 00:41:41.570 of our pitchers hit a hundred miles an hour one 00:41:41.570 --> 00:41:44.429 time in a game right and he said well yeah I 00:41:44.429 --> 00:41:47.769 could you know 107 unusual but normally 103 to 00:41:47.769 --> 00:41:51.670 105 yeah without a helmet you couldn't maintain 00:41:51.670 --> 00:41:57.349 107 you could only pitch 103 to 105 the And he 00:41:57.349 --> 00:42:01.070 was known for being wild and as he said all fastball 00:42:01.070 --> 00:42:05.050 pitchers are I read his autobiography or a a 00:42:05.050 --> 00:42:07.849 biography Learned from talking to him. You can't 00:42:07.849 --> 00:42:10.769 believe everything you read that he was pitching 00:42:10.769 --> 00:42:15.610 against the Boston Red Sox and Had no hitter 00:42:15.610 --> 00:42:19.269 going and Walked three guys in the bottom of 00:42:19.269 --> 00:42:22.429 the or the bottom of the ninth and Next guy up 00:42:22.429 --> 00:42:25.250 was Ted Williams. He let the ball go fastball 00:42:25.530 --> 00:42:27.829 Williams hit it. He said he didn't even look 00:42:27.829 --> 00:42:29.849 back. He just started walking off the mound. 00:42:29.969 --> 00:42:32.210 He knew they'd lost four to three. Can you imagine 00:42:32.210 --> 00:42:34.789 watching those players go up against each other? 00:42:36.250 --> 00:42:39.130 I mean, it's what myths and urban legends are 00:42:39.130 --> 00:42:41.949 made of, as you pointed out. Right. Well, the 00:42:41.949 --> 00:42:45.650 thing of it is... The teams are not that these 00:42:45.650 --> 00:42:47.570 guys aren't great athletes, but they're watered 00:42:47.570 --> 00:42:50.429 down quite a bit compared to those days when 00:42:50.429 --> 00:42:53.949 When you got on a major league team, you were 00:42:53.949 --> 00:42:58.130 really really good. We only had 16 teams First 00:42:58.130 --> 00:43:00.750 of all, I mean even I had a cousin that played 00:43:00.750 --> 00:43:03.349 a marvelous Marv for those of you out there and 00:43:03.349 --> 00:43:06.590 that followed the Mets and the Yankees unfortunately, 00:43:06.590 --> 00:43:09.030 but here's a guy who set the record for home 00:43:09.030 --> 00:43:12.429 runs in Colorado in a minor leagues and he batted 00:43:12.429 --> 00:43:14.190 maybe two thirty or something like that he was 00:43:14.190 --> 00:43:16.349 only known for the beer as he did for miller 00:43:16.349 --> 00:43:18.650 light in the early seventies but he'd i keep 00:43:18.650 --> 00:43:21.190 telling people he made it and i can you imagine 00:43:21.190 --> 00:43:23.150 just making it to the major leagues for those 00:43:23.150 --> 00:43:26.050 of us who are frustrated baseball players made 00:43:26.050 --> 00:43:29.389 the guy that they called sausage are no we wanted 00:43:29.389 --> 00:43:32.130 to talk to just briefly before we run out of 00:43:32.130 --> 00:43:36.219 time here about other people that in this Greatest 00:43:36.219 --> 00:43:38.360 generation that participated during World War 00:43:38.360 --> 00:43:41.659 two were not only ballplayers I remember seeing 00:43:41.659 --> 00:43:43.739 a picture. I think it was of the DiMaggio brothers 00:43:43.739 --> 00:43:47.320 Joe and Dom in the Navy uniforms and some and 00:43:47.320 --> 00:43:48.880 you know, even though Ted Williams didn't get 00:43:48.880 --> 00:43:51.239 into action we knew about him and I know that 00:43:51.239 --> 00:43:53.159 there were many many more that we that we well 00:43:53.159 --> 00:43:56.480 Charles Dern and who was the actor the actor 00:43:56.480 --> 00:44:00.800 little heavy -weight actor the He was on the 00:44:00.800 --> 00:44:03.409 program called evening shade is where? Three 00:44:03.409 --> 00:44:06.369 Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, and one of the 00:44:06.369 --> 00:44:08.150 Purple Hearts, I remember reading the story. 00:44:09.190 --> 00:44:11.969 It was near the end of the war when the Germans 00:44:11.969 --> 00:44:15.170 were using old men and young kids. They said 00:44:15.170 --> 00:44:16.969 it was about a 14 -year -old kid, is what it 00:44:16.969 --> 00:44:19.050 looked like, coming at him with a bayonet, and 00:44:19.050 --> 00:44:21.289 he couldn't shoot the guy because it was just 00:44:21.289 --> 00:44:23.849 a kid. And he ended up getting a bayonet through 00:44:23.849 --> 00:44:25.730 the shoulder because he was trying to just fight 00:44:25.730 --> 00:44:29.280 him off rather than kill him. Lee Marvin. was 00:44:29.280 --> 00:44:32.139 a driver of one of those tracked amphibious vehicles 00:44:32.139 --> 00:44:34.820 in the Marines. He was in the first wave at, 00:44:34.820 --> 00:44:37.780 I believe, Tarawa. I might be wrong about that 00:44:37.780 --> 00:44:39.739 battle, but he was in the first wave of one of 00:44:39.739 --> 00:44:45.059 those major battles. Clark Gable, a gunner on 00:44:45.059 --> 00:44:49.119 a ball turret on a B -17. We mentioned Jimmy 00:44:49.119 --> 00:44:53.239 Stewart, who flew bombers over Europe and also 00:44:53.239 --> 00:44:55.619 ended up staying in the Air Force in the reserves. 00:44:56.340 --> 00:44:59.159 uh... ended up in a brigadier general in the 00:44:59.159 --> 00:45:00.820 air force and then uh... i've got the i can't 00:45:00.820 --> 00:45:01.820 remember the name of the movie you mentioned 00:45:01.820 --> 00:45:04.900 it before we're gonna played himself flying all 00:45:04.900 --> 00:45:07.440 these big giant super bombers sack which stood 00:45:07.440 --> 00:45:10.940 for strategic air command it was uh... it was 00:45:10.940 --> 00:45:13.659 almost autobiographical We have to point out 00:45:13.659 --> 00:45:16.039 to our audience, we understand that almost the 00:45:16.039 --> 00:45:18.599 entire population was involved in World War II, 00:45:18.719 --> 00:45:21.659 unlike the conflicts that followed. So we're 00:45:21.659 --> 00:45:23.719 not trying to degrade anybody that's out there 00:45:23.719 --> 00:45:25.579 that's playing ball or anything today, because 00:45:25.579 --> 00:45:28.559 we know that if there were another national emergency 00:45:28.559 --> 00:45:30.099 that probably everybody would step up to the 00:45:30.099 --> 00:45:31.880 plate, just as they always did. Every generation 00:45:31.880 --> 00:45:34.059 is the greatest generation, I think. I agree 00:45:34.059 --> 00:45:36.679 with you on that. I've got one last little anecdote 00:45:36.679 --> 00:45:38.820 that I read about with the actor Glenn Ford. 00:45:39.529 --> 00:45:42.610 It was in the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the rifleman 00:45:42.610 --> 00:45:45.170 that was telling the story, and they were under 00:45:45.170 --> 00:45:48.230 intense Japanese fire. He was hiding behind a 00:45:48.230 --> 00:45:50.630 rock, and a guy hit the ground next to him with 00:45:50.630 --> 00:45:53.570 a Thompson submachine gun, rolled over to reload 00:45:53.570 --> 00:45:55.090 it, and he looked him in the face, and it was 00:45:55.090 --> 00:45:57.610 Glenn Ford. And he said, I thought all you Hollywood 00:45:57.610 --> 00:46:00.170 guys were back selling war bonds. And Ford said, 00:46:00.369 --> 00:46:03.329 yeah, right. Reloaded his Thompson, jumped up, 00:46:03.329 --> 00:46:05.070 and that was the last he saw him running off. 00:46:05.570 --> 00:46:08.070 So these guys, a lot of them were in the thick 00:46:08.070 --> 00:46:12.150 of it. Do you have anything that you want to 00:46:12.150 --> 00:46:17.000 cover? We just wanted to ask people to help us 00:46:17.000 --> 00:46:18.320 out. You know, Veterans Radio, we're trying to 00:46:18.320 --> 00:46:20.079 do a little fundraising here. So if you go to 00:46:20.079 --> 00:46:23.000 our website, veteransradio .net, click on Founders. 00:46:23.559 --> 00:46:25.760 We're trying to buy some equipment. We want to 00:46:25.760 --> 00:46:27.360 buy some recording equipment and some editing 00:46:27.360 --> 00:46:29.579 equipment to upgrade the quality of our program. 00:46:29.639 --> 00:46:31.519 So we need your help. So if we get that opportunity, 00:46:31.940 --> 00:46:33.800 we would appreciate you doing that. You, too, 00:46:33.800 --> 00:46:36.059 can be a sponsor of Veterans Radio. That's right. 00:46:36.079 --> 00:46:37.880 You, too. You can become a member of the Veterans 00:46:37.880 --> 00:46:39.719 Radio Network. That's what we're working on next. 00:46:40.960 --> 00:46:44.940 And look forward to next week's program. Who 00:46:44.940 --> 00:46:47.900 do we have? Not sure yet. Not sure yet. Thank 00:46:47.900 --> 00:47:09.760 you, Andy. You're dismissed. The opinions or 00:47:09.760 --> 00:47:12.179 views expressed on this program are not necessarily 00:47:12.179 --> 00:47:15.059 of Veterans Radio or the station. Veterans Radio 00:47:15.059 --> 00:47:17.460 is a production of Veterans Radio LLC.