Master Chief Petty Officer Ken Falke served in the Navy as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Specialist during the 80s and 90s. He was tasked with disarming all sorts of explosives, and deployed all over the world, including to Iraq during the Gulf War, and Bosnia during the Bosnian War. 

Now, Falke and his wife run a non-profit called Boulder Crest which helps veterans and first responders with mental health struggles, and achieve “post-traumatic growth”. Learn more at bouldercrest.org. 

Thank you to Regal for sponsoring this episode. You can sign up for Regal Unlimited via this link, and make sure to use code WARRIORS24 to get 10% off!

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Major Edward James Land Jr. served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. In the 1960s, Land and Richard O. Culver Jr. worked together to create the first permanent Marine Corps Scout Sniper School. 

In this special episode, Maj Land explains how the school came to be, and tells a few stories from his time in Vietnam. 

Thank you to Regal for sponsoring this episode. You can sign up for Regal Unlimited via this link, and make sure to use code WARRIORS24 to get 10% off!

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"The aircraft started to spin. Not really thinking it was anything unusual, I remember calling the pilot saying, 'Hey sir, are we going to stop this?' When he responded with, 'I can't,' I knew this wasn't going to end well."

Click here to check out our web-exclusive interview with Staff Sergeant Mark Lalli. Lalli served in Iraq as a Blackhawk Helicopter crew chief and survived a helicopter crash that killed six of the eleven passengers on board, but he sustained life-changing injuries.

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Lieutenant Colonel Henry “Hank” Buttelmann served in Korea and Vietnam as a fighter pilot. In Korea, he flew the F-86, and became the youngest ace of the war at the age of 24. He left Korea with 6 confirmed kills. Buttelmann retired with four DIstinguished Flying Crosses and a Silver Star. 

In this interview, Buttelmann talks about his time in Korea, the F-86, crossing the 38th parallel, and fighting enemy MiGs. 

Thank you to Regal for sponsoring this episode. You can sign up for Regal Unlimited via this link, and make sure to use code WARRIORS24 to get 10% off!

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In this special episode, Lt. Ken Harbaugh, the host of Warriors In Their Own Words, is interviewed by MOH recipient SSG David Bellavia about his service in the Navy. Harbaugh served from 1996 - 2005 as an EP-3 pilot, tasked with collecting signals intelligence from adversaries such as Russia, North Korea, and China. 

You can find more information about the 2001 aircraft collision mentioned in this interview here and here.

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COL Walter Joseph Marm Jr. served as a rifle platoon leader in Vietnam. When a friendly platoon was trapped behind enemy lines, Marm and his platoon were sent to rescue them. Attempting to take a hill held by the enemy, Marm single-handedly killed 14 enemies with his rifle and a grenade before being shot in the face, shattering his jawbone. He then walked back to his command post and was evacuated. 

Marm’s heroism led to a successful rescue, and for this he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

To hear all the details of what earned Marm the Medal of Honor, listen to this episode of the Medal of Honor Podcast.

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Warning, this episode contains harsh language, graphic violence, gore, and description of rape. Listener discretion is advised.

CSM Tonya Oxendine served in the US Army for nearly 30 years, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. She did two tours in Iraq & Afghanistan as a paratrooper.

In this interview, Oxendine describes the abuse she endured both at home, and during her time in uniform, and how she overcame that trauma. 

Learn more about Oxendine and the Wounded Warrior Project here.

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Today as a bonus episode, we’ll be airing an episode of Everything Everywhere Daily about Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Everything Everywhere Daily is a podcast that allows listeners to learn something new every day on various subjects, like history, science, geography, mathematics, and technology.  

Here’s episode #1321, about Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. He was the leader of the combined Japanese fleet in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor despite opposing war with the US. 

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In the Pacific Theater in World War II, the leader of the combined Japanese fleet was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

Yamamoto was vilainized as the arch-enemy of the American forces in the Pacific, and to be fair, he was their enemy.

But there is actually much more to the story. Yamamoto was the loudest voice against war with the United States and was one of the only officials in the Japanese leadership who spent time in the United States and understood it.

Learn more about Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, his rise and tragic end on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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In this final part of his interview, Kim talks about the Battle of Anzio, earning the Distinguished Service Cross, and his feelings about the war. 

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Young Oak Kim was born in Los Angeles to a Korean family in 1919. He tried enlisting prior to World War II, but was denied due to his race. When war finally broke out in Europe, Congress passed the Selective Training Service Act of 1940, requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 45, regardless of race, to register for the draft. Kim was among the first group of men allied up, and he entered the Army in January 1941.

Racism, exacerbated by Japan’s role in the war, was commonplace both in and out of the military. Despite proving himself to be an exceptional shooter during training, Kim was initially denied the opportunity to fight in the war because he had the “wrong color skin and wrong color eyes”. Eventually, Kim’s skill was recognized by his superiors and he was elected for Officer Candidate School, graduating in February 1943.

From there, Kim was assigned as the second platoon leader of Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion. The 100th was a racially segregated unit composed mostly of second generation Japanese Americans (known as Nisei) from Hawaii. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the 100th was removed from Hawaii and sent to the mainland for training. 

Kim and the 100th Infantry Battalion were sent to Italy in September of 1943. They fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino and the Battle of Anzio, and earned the nickname “The Purple Heart Battalion” due their high casualty rate. Kim was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for an incredible midnight infiltration mission, which he talks about in the next episode. 

After leaving Italy, the 100th Infantry Battalion became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, another segregated Nisei regiment, and sent to France. Kim was injured by enemy fire at Biffontaine, and was sent back to the US, later earning a Silver Star and the French Croix de Guerre for his actions in France. Germany surrendered before he was able to return.

Kim left the Army following World War II, but when war broke out in Korea, he rejoined. He commanded a South Korean guerrilla unit, and was awarded another Silver Star for his actions there. 

Kim left Korea in 1952. He then worked as an instructor at Fort Benning, and at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He retired in 1972 at the rank of colonel as one of the most highly decorated Asian American soldiers in U.S. history with a total of 19 medals. 

The 100th also made history, becoming one of the most highly decorated units of World War II.

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In this first part of his interview, COL Kim talks about joining the Army, serving as a Korean American in World War II, and the Battle of Monte Cassino

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Young Oak Kim was born in Los Angeles to a Korean family in 1919. He tried enlisting prior to World War II, but was denied due to his race. When war finally broke out in Europe, Congress passed the Selective Training Service Act of 1940, requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 45, regardless of race, to register for the draft. Kim was among the first group of men allied up, and he entered the Army in January 1941.

Racism, exacerbated by Japan’s role in the war, was commonplace both in and out of the military. Despite proving himself to be an exceptional shooter during training, Kim was initially denied the opportunity to fight in the war because he had the “wrong color skin and wrong color eyes”. Eventually, Kim’s skill was recognized by his superiors and he was elected for Officer Candidate School, graduating in February 1943.

From there, Kim was assigned as the second platoon leader of Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion. The 100th was a racially segregated unit composed mostly of second generation Japanese Americans (known as Nisei) from Hawaii. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the 100th was removed from Hawaii and sent to the mainland for training. 

Kim and the 100th Infantry Battalion were sent to Italy in September of 1943. They fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino and the Battle of Anzio, and earned the nickname “The Purple Heart Battalion” due their high casualty rate. Kim was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for an incredible midnight infiltration mission, which he talks about in the next episode. 

After leaving Italy, the 100th Infantry Battalion became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, another segregated Nisei regiment, and sent to France. Kim was injured by enemy fire at Biffontaine, and was sent back to the US, later earning a Silver Star and the French Croix de Guerre for his actions in France. Germany surrendered before he was able to return.

Kim left the Army following World War II, but when war broke out in Korea, he rejoined. He commanded a South Korean guerrilla unit, and was awarded another Silver Star for his actions there. 

Kim left Korea in 1952. He then worked as an instructor at Fort Benning, and at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He retired in 1972 at the rank of colonel as one of the most highly decorated Asian American soldiers in U.S. history with a total of 19 medals. 

The 100th also made history, becoming one of the most highly decorated units of World War II. 

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Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kopser attended West Point before joining a cavalry unit in the U.S. Army. He volunteered to go to Iraq in 2004 working out of one of Saddam Hussein's Palaces and then again in 2006-2007 where he served as a Battalion Executive Officer in the 1st Cavalry Division.

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