Welcome to Episode 3, the final episode of the George Menkoff series: the story of a B-17 bomb ordnance officer stationed in Great Ashfield England as part of the 385th BG during WWII. We rejoin him in this episode as he tells us about the danger of arming the bombs mid-flight as well as the ever present danger of mid air collisions.  Support the Show.

Welcome to Episode 2 of the 3 part George Menkoff series: the story of a B-17 bomb ordnance officer stationed in Great Ashfield England as part of the 385th BG during WWII.  In this episode we follow him to Great Ashfield England where he describes the daily routine of loading the bombs and ammunition on his B-17’s sometimes several times per day. Support the show

Welcome to the George Menkoff series: the story of a B-17 Bomb Ordinance officer of the 385th BG stationed in Great Ashfield England during WWII. In episode 1 we meet George Menkoff as he enters military service and trains as an ordnance officer literally all over the US. We also meet his son David Menkoff who is our guest co-host for the series.  Support the show

Subscriber-only episode Welcome to the uncut George Menkoff series; the story of a B-17 Bomb Ordnance officer of the 385th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force stationed in Great Ashfield, England during WWII. We follow Mr. Menkoff as he trains to work in arms and ordinance and would eventually be an Ordnance Officer loading B-17's of the 385th in England throughout the entire war. Mr. Menkoff provides detailed information on the types of bombs he had to load, the number of flights per day he had...

TWND is honored to have the granddaughter of Leo Westerholm, Sarah Westerholm, as a guest on our podcast!  For those new to our show, Leo was featured on TWND podcast in 2023. He was an 101st Airborne trooper who was captured on D-Day and suffered terribly in the POW camps. Sarah's google search to learn more about her grandfather brought her to our website, thewarriornextdoor.com where she was able to access the interview we conducted with him and much more.  Join us for a reunion of...

This series features clips from an interview we conducted with author Donald L. Miller. His book, Masters of the Air, has been made into a mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and is being aired on Apple TV. This interview was conducted on Jan 17th, 2024, just a week before the series premiered! It covers a host of topics including his use of oral histories in his books, why he became interested in writing about WWII, what prompted him to write Masters of the Air and how it...

This series features clips from an interview we conducted with author Donald L. Miller. His book, Masters of the Air, has been made into a mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and is being aired on Apple TV. This interview was conducted on Jan 17th, 2024, just a week before the series premiered! It covers a host of topics including his use of oral histories in his books, why he became interested in writing about WWII, what prompted him to write Masters of the Air and how it...

This series features clips from an interview we conducted with author Donald L. Miller. His book, Masters of the Air, has been made into a mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and is being aired on Apple TV. This interview was conducted on Jan 17th, 2024, just a week before the series premiered! It covers a host of topics including his use of oral histories in his books, why he became interested in writing about WWII, what prompted him to write Masters of the Air and how it...

This series features clips from an interview we conducted with author Donald L. Miller. His book, Masters of the Air, has been made into a mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and is being aired on Apple TV. This interview was conducted on Jan 17th, 2024, just a week before the series premiered! It covers a host of topics including his use of oral histories in his books, why he became interested in writing about WWII, what prompted him to write Masters of the Air and how it...

Subscriber-only episode This series features clips from an interview we conducted with author Donald L. Miller. His book, Masters of the Air, has been made into a mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and is being aired on Apple TV. This interview was conducted on Jan 17th, 2024, just a week before the series premiered! It covers a host of topics including his use of oral histories in his books, why he became interested in writing about WWII, what prompted him to write...

In this fourth and final installment, Azeez reflects on the chaos he and the Iraqi people faced when the US Forces pulled out of Iraq and whether is was worth it. He also details the two years of purgatory (and danger!) he endured in Iraq as he waited to get his green card, to becoming a US citizen.  Support the show

Azeez served as an Iraqi interpreter during Operation Iraqi Freedom during the "Surge" as sectarian strife erupted during the US occupation of Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the Baath party. In Episode 3, you'll hear what it was like for Azeez to be imbedded as an interpreter with a MiTT (e.g., Military Transition Team) whose role was to help transition Iraq from an occupied country to one led by a newly minted Iraqi government...and it did not go smoothly. Support the show

Azeez served as an Iraqi interpreter during Operation Iraqi Freedom during the "Surge" as sectarian strife erupted during the US occupation of Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the Baath party. In this episode, you'll hear Azeez talk about the tragedy his family endured due to sectarian violence and this path to becoming an interpreter for the US Armed forces.  Support the show

Azeez served as an Iraqi interpreter during Operation Iraqi Freedom during the "Surge" as sectarian strife erupted during the US occupation of Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the Baath party. In this episode, Azeez shares what it was like growing up in southern Iraq as the war with Iran ended and a new war with the US -led coalition began, and the impact it had on him and his family. Support the show

Subscriber-only episode Azeez volunteered to assist the US Armed forces in Iraq as an interpreter during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the "Surge", when sectarian strife left Iraq in chaos.  In this series, Azeez shares his account of having his father murdered by members of a local militia which led to Azeez becoming an interpreter where he was seen as a traitor...all while being exposed to the dangers affiliated with working on the front lines with the US Armed forces in what amounted to a...

Here is bonus coverage from an interview we did with Ray Harris Jr. of The History of WWII Podcast, the most listened to WWII history podcast IN THE WORLD. Ray has had the co-hosts (Tony and Ryan) on his show for the past three years and we felt it was worth sharing with our audience.  We also want to thank Ray for supporting our mission of collecting and sharing first hand person accounts from historical events that is The Warrior Next Door Podcast... Enjoy! Support the show

Welcome to the final episode of the Frank McClelland series cohosted by Peter Lion, David Brookins and Priscilla Forney. In Episode 2 we heard Frank describe the advance thru Paris, the fighting in the Hurtgen forest as well as his capture in the battle of the bulge. In this episode Frank discusses his time as a POW and describes his poor treatment as a returning POW after the war. Support the show

Welcome to Episode 2 of the Frank McClelland series. In Episode 1, we were introduced to Frank by our guest cohosts Peter Lion, David Brookins and Priscilla Forney. In a self recorded interview, Frank describes entering the Army as a military policeman before Pearl Harbor and he covers his training, travel to England and move to France in the 28th Infantry Division were he see’s combat. Now Frank describes the advance thru Paris, and fighting in the Hurtgen forest as well as his capture in...

Subscriber-only episode Please join us for the Frank McClelland series, who was featured in the book The American Saint Nick. This however is his story in his own words, dissected through an audio recording that he made in the early 1990's. To help lend some personal anecdotes about Frank, we are honored to have co-hosts Peter Lion (author of "The American Saint Nick" and "Merge"), son of Richard Brookins (the original American Saint Nick) David Brookins and Frank's grand daughter Mrs....

Welcome to Episode 1 of the three part Frank McClelland series. In this episode, we are introduced to Frank by our guest cohosts Peter Lion, David Brookins and Priscilla Forney. In a self recorded interview, Frank describes entering the Army as a military policeman before Pearl Harbor and he covers his training, travel to England and move to France in the 28th Infantry Division were he see’s combat.  Support the show

In this episode, we discuss other Japanese submarine attacks along the west coast of the United States during WWII as well as his additional training he undertook before he would ship out for Australia.

Welcome to Episode 1 of the 3 part Gerard Daley series. Mr. Daley served in the Western Defense Command and  the First Cavalry 49th Field Artillery. In this episode Gerard discusses his entry into the military prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and witnessing the Japanese sub I-17 shell an oil refinery near Santa Barbara California and the ensuing panic.

Welcome back Warrior Next Door listeners. Imagine manning a coastal gun north of Santa Barbara, CA in early 1942 and seeing a huge Japanese submarine steam past your gun sights. You are ordered not to fire on it and then witness it shell an oil refinery: the first bombardment of US shores since the War of 1812. This was the experience of Sgt Gerard Daley who served in the Western Defense Command in 1942 and then the First Cavalry in the Pacific Theater. Warning Citizen! Our homes are in...

Join us for an exclusive, behind the scenes tour of the storied Liberation House in St Laurent sur mer, the first house liberated by the allies on Omaha Beach and a focal point for the French Resistance prior to the invasion! Episode 2 will focus on the people who lived in the area of St Laurent sur mer under NAZI occupation, many of whom joined the resistance movement and helped provide critical information to the allies prior to the invasion on June 6th, 1944.  This episode also shares the...