Best Nisei Podcasts (2024)

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#128: Nisei Linguists, Part II 29:49

4h ago29:49

29:49

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here Much of what the Nisei linguists did during World War II remained classified for decades after the war. Eventually, their stories came out and as more people learned of their great efforts to defeat the Axis powers, monuments and memorials spring up honoring their service. The Ghosts of the Pacif…

1
#129: Tales from Punchbowl, Part III 30:05

16h ago30:05

30:05

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here Young Oak Park was likely the first (maybe the second) Korean American officer in the US Army and was assigned to the 100th Infantry Battalion in World War II, mainly because the army didn't know where else to put a non-Japanese Asian officer. He distinguished himself with the 100th and when war …

1
#127: Nisei Linguists, Part I 37:02

7d ago37:02

37:02

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here Recognizing the importance of trained and competent linguists, during World War II, the US Army's Military Intelligence Service trained foreign language speakers to help with the war effort. Many were Japanese speakers and most of those were Nisei. These Nisei were the only Japanese Americans to …

1
#126: Go For Broke, Part IV 37:38

14d ago37:38

37:38

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here No one believed in them when the unit was first stood up, but after a short time in combat, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team proved their mettle and soon had commanders at the army and corps level negotiating for their service. Because of this, they left Italy for France, saved a cut off battalio…

1
#125: Go For Broke, Part III 32:32

28d ago32:32

32:32

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here Thanks in part to the 100th Infantry Battalion blowing all their doubters's expectations out of the water during their training, FDR and the War Department decided to stand up another segregated Nisei unit - the 442nd Regimental Combat Team - made up of Nisei volunteers from Hawaii and the mainla…

1
#124: Go For Broke, Part II 31:11

1M ago31:11

31:11

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here After Pearl Harbor, many Nisei were kicked out of the military. All those that were retained were sent to Hawaii. A few new Japanese Americans were allowed to enlist, but most were deemed as "enemy aliens" by recruiting boards. By 1943, all new Nisei recruits were barred from entry. Those few tha…

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#123: Go For Broke, Part I 32:14

1M ago32:14

32:14

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, an irrational fear struck the United States that its relativly small population of Japanese immigrants and the native born US citizen children of those immigrants posed a threat to national security. They made up too much of the population on Hawaii to do…

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Episode 47: The "Nisei" Stewardesses of Pan Am 57:11

1M ago57:11

57:11

Send us a Text Message. The Pan Am Museum Foundation recognizes the month of May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and in this episode we explore the history of Pan Am’s “Nisei” Stewardesses with Dr. Christine R. Yano, retired professor of anthropology at the University of Hawai’I and author of the book, Airbour…

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#122: Tales from Punchbowl, Part II 35:21

2M ago35:21

35:21

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here The military veterans interred at Punchbowl are as varied as the Hawaiian Islands themselves. In fact, their final resting place is about the only thing today's ghosts - the father of tiki culture, an college football legend, the first Chinese-American fighter pilot, and Barak Obama's grandfather…

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#121: Tales from Punchbowl, Part I 34:41

2M ago34:41

34:41

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here The military veterans interred at Punchbowl are as varied as the Hawaiian Islands themselves. In fact, their final resting place is about the only thing today's ghosts - an astronaut, an Olympic silver medalist turned professional wrestler turned Bond villain, a horticulturalist turned Sinaloa ca…

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#120 - Ernie Pyle's War, Part VIII 30:29

2M ago30:29

30:29

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here This week, everyone's worst fears come true and Ernie Pyle's luck runs out. He lands with the Marines on Okinawa, a short time after the start of the bloodiest battle of World War II, but all of the 100,000 Japanese defenders had moved inland and did not oppose the landing. After a few uneventful…

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#119: Ernie Pyle's War, Part VII 42:45

3M ago42:45

42:45

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here This week, war correspondent Ernie Pyle hits the beach in Normandy France just one day after the D-Day invasion, sees the allies break out of the Normandy peninsula after six weeks of hard fighting, is on hand for the liberation of Paris, and decides he has had enough of war. But try as he might,…

1
#118: Ernie Pyle's War, Part VI 37:52

3M ago37:52

37:52

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here After retuning to Italy from his R&R, Pyle gets a tip from a pre-war friend - who also happens to be the senior US Army air forces commander in the Mediterranean - that he should return to London because the long awaited invasion of western Europe is going to happen sooner rather than later. It's…

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Episode 46: Capt. Mike Bannister, Chief Pilot of British Airways Concorde 57:57

3M ago57:57

57:57

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we welcome back to the program Captain Mike Bannister, the chief pilot of British Airways' Concorde fleet from 1995 to 2003. He is also the author of a recently published book titled Concorde. This book is available through your favorite bookstore or online retailer. Also coming out to great fanfare in 2023 w…

1
#117: Ernie Pyle's War, Part V 35:30

3M ago35:30

35:30

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 …

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Episode 45: National Airlines 1:39:05

4M ago1:39:05

1:39:05

Send us a Text Message. Pan American World Airways acquired National Airlines in 1980 and preserving the history of National is now the responsibility of the Pan Am Museum and we take this duty seriously. In this episode we explore the fascinating history of National Airlines. Then we will be joined by four veterans of National Airlines: Captain Ro…

1
#116: Ernie Pyle's War, Part IV 28:22

4M ago28:22

28:22

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 mill…

1
#115: Ernie Pyle's War, Part III 28:21

4M ago28:21

28:21

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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…

1
#114: Ernie Pyle's War, Part II 33:59

5M ago33:59

33:59

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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…

1
#113: Ernie Pyle's War, Part I 28:25

5M ago28:25

28:25

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 scho…

1
#112: The Arlington Of the Pacific, Part II 34:50

5M ago34:50

34:50

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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, a…

1
#111: The Arlington of the Pacific, Part I 28:04

5M ago28:04

28:04

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 fo…

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Episode 44: Capt. Robert Ford and the Long Way Home 1:15:27

5M ago1:15:27

1:15:27

Send us a Text Message. In this special episode we will be exploring the incredible life of Pan Am Captain Robert Ford, a trailblazing flying boat aviator that found international fame with an unscheduled flight round the globe. And we welcome back to the program Pan Am 747 Captain John Marshall that knew Pan Am legend Captain Robert Ford and recor…

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Episode 43: Terror at the Rome Airport, December 1973 Attack 1:37:39

6M ago1:37:39

1:37:39

Send us a Text Message. This is a special memorial edition of this program and recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Rome airport attack. We are joined by two survivors that were on a Pan Am plane that was firebombed at the Rome airport on December 17, 1973: Pan Am Flight Engineer Ken Pfrang and Pan Am passenger B.J. Geisler. B.J. is the author of…

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#110: Space Age Sunsets 34:46

6M ago34:46

34:46

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 …

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#109: Counting Coup, Part III - High Bird 27:27

7M ago27:27

27:27

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 t…

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Episode 42: Operation Babylift: The 1975 Saigon Evacuation 1:20:54

7M ago1:20:54

1:20:54

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we explore Operation Babylift, the historic April 1975 evacuation of more than 3,000 Vietnamese war orphans just before the fall of South Vietnam. We are joined by Thoa Bui, Vice President of Programs and Services for Holt International and Al Topping, Pan Am’s Country Director for South Vietnam. This episode…

1
#108: Counting Coup, Part II - Medicine Crow 23:46

7M ago23:46

23:46

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 s…

1
#107: Counting Coup, Part I - Winter Man 34:22

7M ago34:22

34:22

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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…

1
#106: Too Tall 30:10

7M ago30:10

30:10

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 …

1
#105: The Ultimate Wingman 27:36

8M ago27:36

27:36

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 …

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#104: The Epitome of Army Aviation, Part II 29:12

8M ago29:12

29:12

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 …

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Gencon Rebirth 1:55:12

8M ago1:55:12

1:55:12

Thank you for Listening! Link text CourtGames is a fan project and is not an official affiliate of Fantasy Flight Games. Legend of the Five Rings is the property of Fantasy Flight Games. All opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the hosts of this show. The music used in this episode is titled "Rebirth", created by Miracle of Sound. An…

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#103: The Epitome of Army Aviation, Part I 27:25

8M ago27:25

27:25

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 avi…

1
#102: A Family Legacy in Korea 28:47

8M ago28:47

28:47

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 P…

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Episode 41: The Stewardess Labor Movement of the 1960s and 1970s 1:02:01

9M ago1:02:01

1:02:01

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we are joined by Nell McShane Wulfhart, author of the book The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet. Nell is a frequent contributor to the New York Times travel section and wrote the column “Carry On” from 2016 to 2019. She has written for Travel + Leisure, Bon …

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#101: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part VII 46:37

10M ago46:37

46:37

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 ahea…

1
#100: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part VI 32:52

10M ago32:52

32:52

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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…

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#99: A POW MIA's Five Years to Freedom, Part V 34:02

10M ago34:02

34:02

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 Capt…

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Episode 40: Tom Betti and a Rock Song About History 1:09:55

10M ago1:09:55

1:09:55

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we are turning the tables…the interviewee becomes the interviewer. Guest host Phillip Keene interviews the host of The Pan Am Podcast, historian Tom Betti to bring our listeners his story. Phillip is a podcast guest in episodes 18, 29, and 30. This program is marking a milestone as this is the 40th episode an…

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#98: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part IV 31:10

11M ago31:10

31:10

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here 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 h…

1
#97: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part III 30:44

11M ago30:44

30:44

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here Captivity at the hands of the Vietcong continues to bring hardships to Captain Rocky Versace, Lieutenant Nick Rowe, and Sergeant Dan Pitzer. Versace has been separated from the group, though two new prisoners, Army Master Sergeant Ed Johnson and Army Sergeant Len Tadios join Rowe and Pitzer. Afte…

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Episode 39: Madeline Smith and a Romance in the Sky 1:08:40

11M ago1:08:40

1:08:40

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we are joined by 98-year-old Madeline Smith and her daughter Valerie Smith O’Grady Skinner. Both were Pan Am flight attendants…Madeline joined the airline right after the war in 1946 and Valerie, following in her mother’s footsteps, joined the company in 1977. Madeline was a stewardess until 1951 when she res…

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#96: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part II 30:51

11M ago30:51

30:51

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here After begin captured by the Vietcong, Captain Rocky Versace, Lieutenant Nick Rowe, and Sergeant Dan Pitzer are held in a series of Vietcong jungle prison camps in South Vietnam. The Vietcong also send cadre to try to reeducate their prisoners - to get them denounce the US involvement in Vietnam -…

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#95: A Vietnam POW's Five Years to Freedom, Part I 30:13

11M ago30:13

30:13

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here Two fo the first US Solderis taken captive by the communists in Vietnam were to advisors to the South Vietnamese Army, First Lieutenant Nick Rowe and Captain Rocky Versace. One of these men worked so hard to keep up the moral of other US prisoners that the North decided to summarily execute him. …

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#94: The Spymaster Who Created Modern American Espionage, Part V 43:15

12M ago43:15

43:15

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here As the war in Europe draws to a close, Wild Bill Donovan once again tries to convince FDR of the need for a centralized intelligence service - but when the president suddenly dies, he has to deal with a new chief executive, Truman, who he is not familiar with. All this while also helping Supreme …

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#93: The Spymaster Who Created Modern American Espionage, Part IV 34:00

12M ago34:00

34:00

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here After Pearl Harbor, Coordinator of Intelligence Colonel William J. Donovan petitioned for President Roosevelt to transfer his new agency from White House control to that of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. FDR thought he was committing political suicide - the military generals and admirals wanted nothi…

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Episode 38: Dan Colussy, Pan Am's President and Chief Operating Officer in the 1970s 1:26:13

1y ago1:26:13

1:26:13

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we are joined by Dan Colussy who served as Pan Am’s President and Chief Operating Officer in the 1970s. Dan will share his experiences of working in the airline industry during a pivotal point in Pan Am history. This interview provides a unique look inside the workings of the executive leadership of the airli…

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#92: The Spymaster Who Created Modern American Espionage, Part III 34:44

1y ago34:44

34:44

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here William Donovan resigns from the Justice Department when he is not appointed Attorney General by his friend and newly elected president Herbert Hoover. He returns to law and comes out of the Great Depression a self-made millionaire. He also finds common cause with Franklin D. Roosevelt when he re…

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#91: The Spymaster Who Created Modern American Espionage, Part II 31:01

1y ago31:01

31:01

I'd love to hear your thoughts - send me a text here William Donovan's final battlefield action of WWI is to countermand an order he received to attack - an order that would needlessly cost more lives than the Irish Regiment has already lost. Not only does he live to defend this action, but he is eventually awarded the Medal of Honor and the comman…

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