Ghosts of Arlington Podcast

The US invades Sicily, and just like he was for North Africa, Pyle was there to bring the news of the front back to the home front.  But just as it does for everyone, Pyle's combat experiences begin to take a toll on his well being so he agrees to take a break, return to the US, and get some rest and relaxation. He finds little of both. What he does find is that his celebrity has grown beyond anything he could have imagined.

When he returns to Italy, he writes what is typically considered his single greatest article of the war.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Theme is Ukulele and Love Birds by emjaydabayou, with a few Waves of Hawaii added for ambiance.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Transition music are some Uke Chords by turkitron.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/

With the Allied invasion of Africa on, Ernie Pyle's fame back in the US as "the only reporter to bring the war home to us" begins to grow. In just six month's time his column is pick up by more than one hundred additional newspapers and his daily readership increases by nearly six and a half million people. He continues to write human interest pieces about the soldiers "over there," but he also includes his own first hand accounts of loss and of the feelings that soldiers experience. He isn't writing about bravado and heroics - though there are heroes in his columns to be sure, they are just also the everyday people who have had war thrust upon them and are trying to survive.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Theme is Ukulele and Love Birds by emjaydabayou, with a few Waves of Hawaii added for ambiance.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Transition music are some Uke Chords by turkitron.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/

When World War II begins in Europe, Pyle is desperate to cover and is allowed to go to London during the Blitz where he covers one of the largest incendiary raids of the war - instead of taking shelter in a basement he stands out on a balcony!

When the US enters the war, he returns to England and then heads to Africa to cover Operation Torch - the first US offensive on the Atlantic side of the conflict.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Theme is Ukulele and Love Birds by emjaydabayou, with a few Waves of Hawaii added for ambiance.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Transition music are some Uke Chords by turkitron.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/

After Ernie Pyle married his wife, Jerry, the couple quit their jobs and drove around the US in a Model T Ford, camping out and falling in love with the Southwest. When they got back east several months later they were broke, but looking to travel again.

Pyle was invited back to his old newspaper in Washington, DC, but new responsibilities, compounded with anxiety and mental illness with both members of the relationship, soon put a strain on Ernie and Jerry's marriage, so when Pyle got the opportunity to become a roving reporter, touring the US and writing daily articles about his experiences, both he and Jerry leaped at the chance. The couple spent most of the next seven years together with that assignment, but with war raging in Europe, and their relationship suffering more and more, Pyle looks for any way to become a war correspondent.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Theme is Ukulele and Love Birds by emjaydabayou, with a few Waves of Hawaii added for ambiance.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Transition music are some Uke Chords by turkitron.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/

Born to tenant farmers in rural Dana, Indiana, Ernie Pyle looked for any way to get out of the Midwest farm country he feared he might toil away his life in. When World War II ended a month after he joined the naval reserve, he did the next best thing - enroll at Indiana University. While in school, he studied communications and journalism, and not only managed to travel to Kentucky and Michigan, but to Japan, China, and the Philippines, too. Shortly after leaving school, he was working for a daily tabloid in Washington, DC, but his wanderlust wouldn't let him stay in one place for long.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Theme is Ukulele and Love Birds by emjaydabayou, with a few Waves of Hawaii added for ambiance.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Transition music are some Uke Chords by turkitron.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/

This week we wrap up the discrition of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at the Punchbowl crater in Oahu, Hawaii and then we will see just how closely Punchbowl and Arlington are related when in December 2023, a young sailor killed when the USS Oklahoma capsized during Pearl Harbor, and whose remains were just recently identified, was disinterred from Punchbowl and buried at Arlington.

Today's Ghost of Arlington is Navy Seaman First Class James Richard Ward, Section 81 Grave 1560.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Theme is Ukulele and Love Birds by emjaydabayou, with a few Waves of Hawaii added for ambiance.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Transition music are some Uke Chords by turkitron.

Ukulele Taps is by Al Wood.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/

This week we take a look at the history of the National Cemetery of the Pacific - also known as Punchbowl - in Hawaii, in a temporary segment I like to think of as Ghosts of the Pacific.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Theme is Ukulele and Love Birds by emjaydabayou, with a few Waves of Hawaii added for ambiance.

The Ghosts of the Pacific Transition music are some Uke Chords by turkitron.

Ukulele Taps is by Al Wood.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/

Over the last few weeks we have lost to US astronauts from the golden age of space exploration - Ken Mattingly and Frank Borman - and since I spent 42 weeks on the space race, I felt it was appropriate to take the time to eulogize those two explorers today. If you listen to end, you can find out the connection between Frank Borman, Buzz Aldrin, and one of the most iconic rock bands of all time, Led Zeppelin.

Today's Ghosts of Arlington are:
1. Navy Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II
2. Air Force Colonel Frank Fredrick Borman II

At the time of recording, funeral arrangements are still being made for both men.

The Space Race series introduction music is Lift Off by kennysvoice.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/

In what may be my final episode of 2023, this week we will see the end of Joseph Medicine Crow's amazing story of counting coup on the Germans and only realizing after he returns to the reservation following World War II, that he has fulfilled all the requirements to become a chief, and becomes the first Crow warrior in the reservation era (and most recent to date) to achieve that rank in the traditional way.

Today's Ghost of Arlington is Army Technician 5 Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, who is acutally enterred Apsaalooke Veterans Cemetery, Crow Agency, Big Horn County, Montana.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/  

Due to holiday and work schedules, I have decided to split the final longer episode about Joseph Medicine Crow into two shorter parts. This week, we learn a little about Medicine Crow's childhood - breaking and racing horses and leading history from pre-reservation chiefs, but also going to the so-called white man school and learning English. When he left the reservation for secondary school, and met members of 30 or 40 other tribes, he became interested in know more about the Crow so he could share those stories with other.

After graduating high school, he becomes on the second Crow to get a bachelors degree, when he graduated from Linfield University in Oregon, and the first to get a masters degree, when he graduated from the University of Southern California. He stayed at USC long enough to complete all the necessary coursework for a PhD, but World War II broke out before he could complete his dissertation.

When he was inducted into the Army, one of the officers interviewing the new inductees happened to be Medicine Crow's old roommate at Linfield. He offered Medicine Crow an officer's commission, but he declined the offer, wanting instead to rise through the ranks like his grandfather Medicine Crow had. Unfortunately, the US Army doesn't operate on Crow principles and Medicine Crow never had another change to become an officer. He said turning down his old roommate was the worst decision of his life, though it would give him the chance to emulate his warrior ancestors that he wouldn't have had otherwise.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/  

November is National Native American Heritage Month here in the United States. With that in mind, I talk about the history of that celebration, and talk a little about the Plains Indians and the Crow Nation. What does any of that have to do with Arlington National Cemetery? Not much. But it has a lot to do with Joseph Medicine Crow, a World War II veteran who used his time in service to become the last war chief of the Crows, and though Dr. Medicine Crow is buried on the reservation, I felt his story was one that needed to be told.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

On November 14, 1965, the US Army had its first major battle against North Vietnamese regular troops in the Ia Drang valley near the Cambodian boarder. The first two days or the three day battle was depicted in the 2002 Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers. It wasn't until the movie came out that I learned that I had spent the last decade living around the corner from one of the heroes of that day. He had to wait 35 years, but eventually Pilot Ed Freeman, a veteran of three wars, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroics that day.

Today's Ghost of Arlington is Army Major Ed W. "Too Tall" Freeman, who is acutally enterred at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Section 12-J-155.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

In 1966, Bernie Fisher saw a member of his flight, Lieutenant Colonel "Jump" Myers, get shot down while providing close air support for about 350 special forces soldiers overrun by more than 2000 enemy fighters. The explosion lead Fisher to believe his comrade had been killed on impact, but when he saw Myers exit the aircraft and dive for cover, Bernie knew he had to do something - the enemy was only 200 yards away. When it became clear that that a rescue helicopter wasn't going to reach Myers before the North Vietnamese did, Fisher defied convention and landed his plane to see if he could get Myers out himself.

Today's Ghost of Arlington is Air Force Colonel Bernard Francis "Bernie" Fisher, who isn't interred at Arlington, but rather the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise, ID, Section 12-1-142 (where I hope to also end up when my time on Earth is through).

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

After his unexpected deployment to Vietnam, Chief Novosel is assigned to a medical evacuation unit and over the course of two deployments, evacuated more than 5500 soldiers off the battlefield, include 29 South Vietnamese troops under heavy fire, an action that would eventually lead to him being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Today's Ghost of Arlington is:

Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novocel, Jr. - section 7A, Grave 178-C.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

This week, we begin the story of Army Aviator Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mike Novosel, a guy who was too short to fly according to the military standards of the day, was forced out of the service against his will, and who eventually took a demotion, all because he wanted to pass his 20+ years of aviation experience on to the next generation of Army pilots. Instead, and much to his surprise, he was sent to Vietnam to serve in his third war.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

A recent work trip to South Korea opened my eyes to the Collins family's four-person, two-generational association with the Second Infantry Division and the Korean Peninsula, so today I share at story and one other that I learned about at the Second Infantry Division Museum on Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Republic of Korea.

Today's Ghosts of Arlington are:

1. Army Major General James Lawton Collins, Sr. - Section 34, Grave 121-A
2. Army General Joseph Lawton Collins - Section 30, Grave 422
3. Army Brigadier General James Lawton Collins, Jr. - Section 34, Grave 970
4. Air Force Major General Michael Collins - Section 51, Grave 2891
5. Army Sergeant Robert Hopkins - Section 69, Grave 3420

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

It has been a long time coming, but after 1,891 days in captivity, Nick Rowe became one of only 37 prisoners to successfully escape from Vietcong prisons and make it back to friendly forces. This is the culminating event of his five years to freedom. The helicopter that picked him up radioed ahead and a large crowd gathered to welcome him home. After escaping, Rowe found out that he had been promoted twice in captivity and was now a major.

The introduction and transition music heard on the podcast is composed and recorded by the eldest Ghosts of Arlington, Jr. While the rest of his catalogue is quite different from what he's performed for me, you can find his music on bandcamp.com under the names Caladrius and Bloodfeather.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

Lieutenant Rowe's circumstances change drastically and he unexpectedly finds himself the lone prisoner in his prison camp. After spending four years with other American POWs, he has to adjust to these new surroundings and hope that he has the mental fortitude to withstand the Vietcong's ramped-up indoctrination sessions all on his own.

The introduction and transition music heard on the podcast is composed and recorded by the eldest Ghosts of Arlington, Jr. While the rest of his catalogue is quite different from what he's performed for me, you can find his music on bandcamp.com under the names Caladrius and Bloodfeather.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

As Lieutenant Nick Rowe's time in captivity moves into its thrid year, it becomes more difficult for him and his American colleagues to stave off the illness and disease that comes with extreme malnutrician, which will claim its first victims in this episode.
We will also see what happens to Captain Rocky Versace after the Vietcong realize that he is insusceptible to their propaganda efforts and will never be broken.

The introduction and transition music heard on the podcast is composed and recorded by the eldest Ghosts of Arlington, Jr. While the rest of his catalogue is quite different from what he's performed for me, you can find his music on bandcamp.com under the names Caladrius and Bloodfeather.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/ 

The American POWs are split up as the Vietcong continue their reeducation efforts to get them to confess to "crimes against the Vietnamese people." Knowing his health is headed south, Lieutenant Nick Rowe decides he needs to try to escape before it's too late. Sure, escape is risky, but even if he dies in the process, he figures it is better than sitting around waiting to starve to death.

The introduction and transition music heard on the podcast is composed and recorded by the eldest Ghosts of Arlington, Jr. While the rest of his catalogue is quite different from what he's performed for me, you can find his music on bandcamp.com under the names Caladrius and Bloodfeather.

As always, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory!

For more information about the podcast visit: 

·       The GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com    

·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsofarlingtonpodcast

·       Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArlingtonGhosts

·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostsofarlington/