Welcome to the Veterans Radio Archives. We are working on keeping our archived programs up to date.

We are trying to post programs within 48 hours of airing.

In order to listen to archived radio shows, you must have the Flash 7 plugin installed on your computer. If you need it, click the button to the left, download and install the plugin, and then return to this page to play the radio shows.

Listed below are the 2009 Archived Shows.
Click here for  2006, 2007, 2008 Programs

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27 June 2009	Tales of Our Fathers- Part II Last week we heard some great stories about our fathers. In fact, we ran out of time to hear them all. So, we decided to do a Part II of our Father’s day program. And... Author, Tim Drake, has written a beautiful and meaningful story about his grandfathers. Inherited Freedom is “A grandson’s reflection on World War II through his grandfathers’ experiences, and the translation of their service to the privileges and ultimate responsibilities of later generations”. “This book will make you want to find out more about your family’s history. I promise it will give you some insight into why you are the way you are today.” Dale Throneberry  And…Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will be joining us to talk about two big VA stories. First, some of the recent problems with surgical equipment sterilization and improper surgical procedures at a number of VA facilities and H.R. 1016, which is landmark legislation designed to secure timely funding for veterans' health care delivered through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
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20 June 2009	Tales of our Fathers - Part 1 What did your father do in the military? This is Father’s day weekend and Veterans Radio wants to hear the stories you heard growing up. Here’s a way to honor your Dad or Grandfather by telling his story to an audience that really cares and wants to hear them.  Author Gail Chatfield, author of a great book of stories, “By Dammit, We’re Marines! Veteran’s Stories of heroism, Horror, and Humor in World War II on the Pacific Front” will join your host, Dale Throneberry, to talk about the amazing veteran’s stories she has gathered over the years.   Don’t miss this chance to share those incredible stories. That’s an order!! ________________________________________________________________________
13 June 2009	The British are coming! The British are coming!  'Captain Dan Throop'   Join host Gary Lillie and guests Fred Veigel and Elmer White on Veterans Radio as they describe the revelation that Captain Dan Throop, who led his Connecticut militia to the first battle of the Revolutionary War, lies in an unmarked grave in Judd Cemetery, York Township, just south of the City of Saline, Michigan. On July 3rd at 11:00 AM Eastern a tombstone will be unveiled and dedicated over his grave. 19 April 1775 Lexington and Concord Bridge By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set to-day a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare, To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee                     Ralph Waldo Emerson ______________________________________________________________________________________
06 June 2009	June 6, 1918 ”It’s Thursday afternoon, June 6, 1918, near Belleau Wood in France and the sergeant knows it’s time. The officers are dead. Most of the noncommissioned officers are gone and what’s left of the platoon is hunkered down at the edge of a wheat field awaiting the word. He gets to his feet and steps into the waist-high wheat, heedless of the bullets buzzing in the air. Looking over his shoulder he shouts, ‘‘Come on, you sons of b———! Do you want to live forever?” Marines rise off the ground like ghosts in the mist. Some groan, double over and kneel as if to pray. Others spin in a ghastly ballet as bullets turn the air around them red. Few will live to see nightfall, but their sacrifice will snatch victory from the enemy’s hands and guarantee that the Marine Corps will be around to fight its country’s battles for generations to come.”   Miracle at Belleau Wood. In ‘‘Miracle at Belleau Wood: The Birth of the Modern U.S. Marine Corps,” Alan Axelrod has demonstrated his mastery at portraying battle at its most brutal and bloodiest. The fight for Belleau Wood had the most Marine casualties until the Battle of Tarawa in WWII. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Alan Axelrod’s amazing story of how the legend and “Espirit de Corps” of the United States Marine Corps was born in this bloody battle to save Paris in the “War to end all wars”.   Alan Axelrod is the best selling author of Patton on Leadership (1999), The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World War I (2000), America’s Wars (2002), Patton: A Biography (2006) and Encyclopedia of the U.S. Marines (2006). ___________________________________________________________________________
30 May 2009	Teaching the Vietnam War… …the students perspective Each year Pioneer High School (Ann Arbor, Michigan) teacher Brent Richards invites Vietnam veterans into his classroom to bring alive the Vietnam War. It began with the veterans addressing individual classrooms, one after the other, which did not give enough time to satisfy the imagination or the questions of the students…and, it was emotionally draining on the veterans. So Richards and the veterans began to have lunch several times a year to debrief after the previous presentations and brainstorm what would improve them.   After the last Vietnam Veterans’ Day in the Pioneer High School classroom Gary Lillie asked Brent Richards if he and some of his students would appear on Veterans Radio to hear what the students had to say about the presentations. Richards quickly agreed. Tune in this Saturday for a delightful and educational interview with Pioneer High School teacher Brent Richards and the three high school girls who volunteered to go on-air. ___________________________________________________________________________
23 May 2009	Special Encore Presentation for Memorial Day 2009 Each year more than 4,000,000 people come to visit. More than 300,000 reside here. Over 500 more are added each week. Near-mythological stories of valor, commitment, sacrifice and patriotism surround you as you walk the grounds. It is the location of the Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers. The official name is Arlington National Cemetery, but known simply as:               "Arlington" Join host Gary Lillie and guest Michael Patterson, Webmaster and founder of the website dedicated to the Arlington National Cemetery www.arlingtoncemetery.net , as we honor those who have died for our country and for freedom. Together we will learn more about the best known of the special places reserved for them. _______________________________________________________________________
16 May 2009	What’s Going On? Many things are happening in Congress and the new administration that will affect many of us. Here’s your chance to find out “What’s going on?” Among our guests this week is the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA). The Committee recently approved five bills that would improve benefits and services to veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs We will also be welcoming the Attorney General of the State of Connecticut and BIG Veteran’s Advocate, Richard Blumenthal. Mr. Blumenthal has been at the forefront in the fight for veterans benefits and veterans issues not only in Connecticut but throughout New England and the country. And he is fellow veteran having served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Also joining us on our call-in line was Elliott Storm author of These Scars Are Sacred. Join your host Dale Throneberry this Saturday as we talk about the stories and issues that are so important to all of us. _______________________________________________________________________
9 May 2009	Happy Mother's  Day Veterans Radio takes a look a Mothers and Women in the military. Host Dale Throneberry talks with Col. Christine Cook, United States Army Reserves, assigned to the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute, about her deployment to Kuwait and the effect it had on her and her family. Col Cook has written a book about her year in Kuwait entitled Living on Tattooine (A.K.A. Kuwait). And... Amy Goodpaster Strebe, author of Flying for Her Country, The American and Soviet Pilots of World War II. A fascinating and great story about the women flyers during WWII. These amazing women did everything that was asked of them. The American pilots were members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Their missions included, ferrying aircraft and towing targets, test flights and being flight instructors here in the states. While their Soviet counterparts were flying actual combat missions against the Germans in defense of their homeland                        _____________________________________________________________________
2 May 2009	Joyce Faulkner, President of the Military Writers Society of America, an association of more than eight-hundred authors, poets, and artists, drawn together by the common bond of military service.  Most of their members are active duty military, retirees, or military veterans.  A few are lifelong civilians who have chosen to honor our military through their writings or their art.  Their only core principle is a love of the men and women who defend this nation, and a deeply personal understanding of their sacrifice and dedication. And Keith Famie from Detroit our Greatest generation and Elliott Storm, author of These Scars Are Sacred__________________________________________________________________
25 April 2009	Joe Galloway Joe Galloway spent 22 years as a correspondent and bureau chief for U.S. News and World Report.  His postings in Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Singapore, included four tours as a war correspondent in Vietnam, a tour in the 1971 India-Pakistan war,l UPI Bureau Chief in Moscow and he rode with the 24th Infantry in the assualt into Iraq during Desert Shield/Desert Storm.  Galloway co-authored We Were Soldiers Once...And Young about the battle of LZ X-ray in Vietnam  Galloway became the only civillian to be awarded the Bronzew Star by the U.S. Army for bravery in Vietnam.
18 April 2009	THE DOOLITTLE RAID From the deck of the USS Hornet 17 B-25's launched, destination Japan, with America's first response to Pear Harbor on the shoulder of those brave air crews.  April 18th marks the 67th anniversary of the "Doolitle Raid".  Guest historian, John Johns, and retired B-25 pilot, Capt. Bob Bolinder, will tell the tale of that dramatic mission.  Don't miss it
11 April 2009	The Navy Cross/Silver Star Navy and Marine Corp Gallantry in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts The Silver Star and its companion book The Navy Cross were written to document the heroism of the young men and women who have fought and continue to fight an enemy bent on destroying freedom in the world. In the ongoing war against global terrorism, our servicemen and women continue to carry out their missions with determination and great courage. They display a dedication to their tasks and to each other that must be recognized and preserved for future generations. These books provide that recognition for their gallantry. Join Dale Throneberry and Gary Lillie and their guest; author Scott Baron as they tell some of the stories about the courageous men and women who have been awarded the Silver Star and the Navy Cross. Both book are available from the Naval Institute Press.
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04 April 2009	What's Bothering You? This is your chance to say it out loud - to the nation! Join host Dale Thronberry and Gary Lillie as they take calls on What's Bothering You. Is it the Secretary of the Navy presenting John Murtha the Distinguished Public Servcie Aware to the Navy and Marines?   A military too eager to throw our troops under the bus to appease certain segments of the public?  The current administratin even suggesting that military personnel pay for their own treatment with their own insurance? The media only reporting negative news about our military? _____________________________________________________________________
28 March 2009	Leave No Man Behind                                   The Saga of Combat Search and Rescue For nearly one-hundred years, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) crews have been charging into situations from which most would flee. "Shot down miles behind enemy lines. Wounded, disoriented and moments from being surrounded by a hostile force intent on taking a prisoner or taking a life. these are the moments where the difference between life and death exists in minutes and hours, not days and months. These are the moments for which Combat Search and Rescue was created." from Zenith Press, publisher of Leave No Man Behind Join Dale Throneberry and author Tom Phillips as they talk about the history of Combat Search and Rescue and tell some of the amazing and incredible stories of CSAR. Phillips began his flying career as a Navy pilot flying attack helicopters in Vietnam, including POW rescue operations with Navy Seals. He now works as a Navy tactics analyst and flight simulator instructor. *This program does not include a Medal of Honor segment. __________________________________________________________________
21 March 2009	USS Hoel   THE SINKING OF THE USS HOEL AND THE TWO MEN WHO LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT. Join host Gary Lillie and guests Robert Prater and Larry Morris, two seamen who survived the sinking of the USS Hoel – then survived heat, thirst and sharks while they waited for rescue they believed would never come. The gallant destroyer HOEL was sunk during the Battle Off Samar by the Imperial Japanese Navy Centre Force, the first ship of [Task Force] Taffy III to be lost. She was credited with torpedoing the heavy cruiser HIJMS HAGURO, all the while being shot at by battleships and several heavy cruisers. Two-hundred fifty-two men were killed during the action, fifteen more perished after spending two days on rafts awaiting their rescue. All told, four American ships were sunk, many damaged, but more than 1,100 survivors of the GAMBIER BAY, HOEL, JOHNSTON and SAMUEL B. ROBERTS  were picked out of the ocean by the ships of the hastily formed rescue TASK GROUP 78.12.  Midway through the interview, host Gar Lillie mentions that we had satelite problems and we lost the first four minutes of the program.  Howeve, we were able via our in-studio recording equimpemt recover those missing four minutes that were not broadcast live.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. ___________________________________________________________________
14 March 2009	Bob Feller - Baseball Hall of Famer and WWII Navy Veteran Join host Gary Lillie and guest Bob Feller the only retired Navy Chief who is a member of a major sports Hall of Fame: “Rapid Robert” Bob Feller. Bob Feller's 1936 debut in the major leagues was explosive, when, as a 17-year old rookie he struck out eight St. Louis Cardinals in three innings. He struck out 15 St Louis Brown batters later that year and then 17 Philadelphia Athletics. Before he left his teens his 100-MPH fastball sent 18 Detroit Tigers back to the dugout.  Feller lost 3 1/2 years in the prime of his career when after the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor he was the first major leaguer to enlist in the military. Still, by the time he retired in 1956 he had played 18 years, won 266 games, hurled 3 no-hitters, struck out 2,581 batters and earned a place in baseball's Hall of Fame _____________________________________________________________________
7 March 2009	U.S. Navy Seabees Join host Gary Lillie and guest Rear Admiral Benjamin Montoya, retired, as they discuss the 67th birthday of the U.S. Navy Seabees (5 March 1942); Admiral Montoya's role as chair of the CEC-Seabee Historical Foundation, along with his chosen task of  raising funds for, and, involvement in  building the new Seabee Museum at the west coast home of the Seabees in Port Hueneme, California. Admiral Montoya will tell the stories of World War II Seabees he met along the way, and their legacy for future generations of Seabees. We build - We fight CAN DO _____________________________________________________________________
28 Feb 2009	Why Vietnam Matters- Part II                          An Eyewitness account of lessons not learned In Part I  we learned about the early American involvement in Vietnam from WWII up to the Kennedy Administration. Our guest, Rufas Phillips, was in Vietnam as a member of the Saigon Military Mission in 1954. Mr. Phillips later worked as a CIA civilian case worker in Vietnam and Laos, then joined the U.S. Agency for ZInternational Development's Saigon Mission to lead its counterinsurgency efforts. In 1964 he became a consultant for USAID and the State Department and served as an advisor to Vice President Hubert Humphrey.   In Part II we are going to look at some of the major decisions that were made in the early and mid-1960’s including the strategic hamlet program, (What went right or wrong), the 1964-68 decisions made by Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Secretary of Defense McNamara and president Johnson and finally what lessons should we have learned and how do those lessons apply to Iraq and Afghanistan.
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21 Feb 2009	FAC (Forward Air Controllers) The Ho Chi Minh Trail stretched from North Vietnam to the Delta south of Saigon. The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a 16,000 kilometer network of paths, roads and waterways that allowed North Vietnam to ship war materials and supplies to the south. For most of the War the trail was off limits to ground troops because it ran through "neutral" Laos and Cambodia. The only way to prevent these supplies from getting through was by air attack. But before you can attack a target you need to know where it is...and that was the role of the Forward Air Controller (FAC). Flying low and slow over the jungles of Laos and Cambodia the FAC pilot had to have courage and amazing skill. Join host Gary Lillie and guest, former FAC pilot David MacKay, as they talk about his time flying low and slow marking targets for our "fast movers" while dodging intense anti-aircraft fire. Don't miss David MacKay's incredible "real life" story.
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14 Feb 2009	Why Vietnam Matters                             An eyewitness account of the lessons not learned                                                  Part I "Why Vietnam Matters is a major contribution to the history of Vietnam. It contains important lessons for the wars America is currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. So much of what the current generation of military and civilian officials claim are new doctrines and ideas are identical to programs and strategies that were virtually all tried in Vietnam.” Richard Holbrooke from his forward to Why Vietnam Matters. Join Veterans Radio host Dale Throneberry as he talks with the author, Rufas Phillips, about the people and events that led up to the Vietnam War. Some of the key players we’ll be talking about are Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, General Maxwell Taylor, General William Westmoreland, Robert McNamara, Henry Cabot Lodge, Ngo Dinh Diem, Nguyen Cao Ky and the well respected diplomat Edward Lansdale.
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7 Feb 2009	Welcome Back Veterans The University of Michigan Depression Center and Department of Psychiatry has received a $350,000 award from Welcome Back Veterans.org and The McCormick Foundation in Chicago to address the "invisible brain injuries" among returning Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans and to help their families. These problems include lack of sleep, PTSD, depression, relationships with family and friends and other associated problems.   Join host Dale Throneberry and his guests Jack Amberg, Senior Director of Veterans Programs for The McCormick Foundation and Dr. Gregory Dalack, Interim Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. _______________________________________________________________________________
24 Jan 09	"Joe Galloway" Joe Galloway co-authored We Were Soldiers Once…And Young about the 1965 Vietnam battle of LZ X-Ray; a book Mel Gibson made into a movie. In that battle Galloway became the only civilian to be awarded the Bronze Star for bravery in Vietnam. He and General Hal Moore have followed up with We Are Soldiers Still; the fascinating story behind the story. LZ X-Ray was not Galloway’s first battle and it was far from his last. Vietnam was not to be his last war, either. Galloway became such a seasoned war correspondent that Knight Ridder Newspapers had him write a how-to memo, which was also a survival guide, for its reporters that were to be imbedded with our troops going into Iraq.  Join host Gary Lillie and guest Joe Galloway this Saturday to hear the amazing life of a war correspondent; where he has been, who he has met and what he has seen. ____________________________________________________________________
17 Jan 09	"A New President...A New Congress" What does it mean to our Military and Veterans? To learn, join host Garry Lillie and guests Dick Klass and Matt Cary.  Klass was co-chair of Veterans for Obama-Biden and on November 1st he represented Obama on the Veterans Radio Presidential Elections program. Matt Cary is president and a founding member of Veterans and Military Familes for Prrogress (VMFP). We will hear both of htem give their educated estimations of what this administration and Congress will mean for active dty military personnel and veterans, alike.
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10 Jan 09	“Saigon Gold” “In the final hours of the American War, a fortune in gold sinks in the Saigon River.  Robert Anderson returns to contemporary Vietnam seeking atonement for wartime casualties. Instead he is thrust into a dangerous scheme to recover the treasure, unaware that he is being watched. Anderson and his companion, Jenny Ngo, face overwhelming odds at every turn as they race around scenic Vietnam, staying one step ahead of pursuers and a mysterious killer.  All the while, China’s emerging navy lurks in the background, threatening the balance of power in the Western Pacific.” Join Dale Throneberry and his guest; author Hugh Scott this Saturday morning as they discuss his new novel Saigon Gold. Hugh Scott served 20 years as a Regular Army officer, including two years in Vietnam with U.S. and ARVN infantry units. He is an honor graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. He served two tours in Vietnam, first as advisor to a national training center in Baria and an infantry battalion of the 7th ARVN Division in the Mekong Delta. Later, he served as assistant brigade and battalion operations officer (S3) with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade near Xuan Loc, 50 miles northeast of the capital of Saigon. He has returned to Vietnam three times in recent years to collect material for his book and its accompanying website. www.SaigonGold.com ___________________________________________________________________
03 Jan 09	"Pork Chop Hill" What words adequately describe the character of young Americans who fight to keep another nation free? And they do just that…South Korea is free today, thanks in great part to young men in our military. Join host Gary Lillie and Bronze Star recipient Harvey Williams, a forward observer with the 7th Division, 49th Artillery. Mr. Williams participated in a number of Korean War battles during a time when politics and negotiations replaced strategy and tactics. Where did that leave the men doing the fighting? You will find out when you tune in this week to hear the story first hand from a man who fought in a bitterly fierce battle during the closing days of the Korean War - while nations stalled, waiting for the other to blink. The battle for Pork Chop Hill has been memorialized in books and even a movie starring Gregory Peck. ______________________________________________________________________________

For 2007 programs click here.               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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