Leadership Stories
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When the Last Witnesses Are Gone
About 30,600 American World War II veterans are still alive. John remembers the veterans at his family's dealership and urges us to ask questions now.
October Second, Twice
How two WWII veterans, Charles Schulz and Rod Serling, smuggled the truth into America's living rooms.
Two Clicks
An afternoon in Needham, Massachusetts, with the children of WWII veterans, and perspectives on D-Day 82 years later.
The Quiet Photograph
At home the crowds filled the streets. In the Pacific, the men who'd done the fighting heard the news and sat down in silence.
The Sand Was Tan
What a Marine officer taught a room of Ukrainian soldiers and Vietnam veterans about the wounds nobody can see.
Memorial Day...A Friend Who Did Not Return
A Memorial Day poem to a friend who didn't come home, and a warning to be slow when the next war is proposed.
Farewell to World War II Veteran, Lt. Edward “Bud” Berthold
WWII B-24 pilot Bud Berthold flew 35 missions, including D-Day. He died at 106. His advice: stay active.
Breaking Bread With Giants
Two World War II liberators, ages 101 and 97, still teaching what freedom cost. As John puts it, freedom is a receipt.
Superhumans and the Blueprint for an Inclusive Recovery
A triple amputee veteran and a rehab leader in Kyiv show how a wounded country learns to walk again, one proper fit at a time.
Veterans' Stories Are Fading Fast
When World War II veteran Frank Wal died, John was grateful his story had been recorded in time. Most families won't be so lucky.
Why the 80th Anniversary of VE Day Still Matters
On May 8, 1945, most soldiers didn't cheer. They lit a cigarette and sat in the quiet. John on why that day still asks something of us.
Echoes of the Past: How World War II Still Resonates in Our Lives
John remembers the WWII veterans at his family's dealership, and asks who will tell their stories once the last of them are gone.
How You Can Honor Our D-Day Veterans
On the 79th anniversary of D-Day, John offers practical ways to honor the veterans while some are still here to thank.
The Value of a Veteran
He wrote "Don't Want To Fight" on his draft card, then captured 132 Germans. John on what Alvin York did after he came home.
From Battlefield to Boardroom, and All Points In Between
"You guys in the military just don't know how much you're worth." John on the breakfast that changed how he saw a veteran's skills.
The Living History Book: A 94-Year-Old World War II Veteran's Journey
Harry Miller lied about his age to join the Army, passed shells in a Sherman at the Bulge, and later helped plan B-52 strikes. Lunch with a living history book.
PFC Bill Tucker's Recorded Account of Actions at Ste. Mere Eglise
"We had no thought of failure." John shares Bill Tucker's own recorded account of jumping into Sainte-Mere-Eglise with the 505th.
From Omaha Beach to Berlin: Earnest Thomas "E.T." Roberts
First off his landing craft at Omaha Beach, he lost everything in the surf. E.T. Roberts fought on for 29 months and didn't speak of it for fifty years.
The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg
In 1938, Union and Confederate veterans met again at Gettysburg. Some children who watched are still alive. We're two handshakes from the battle.
The (Absolutely True) Legend of Vincent Speranza and His Epic Beer Run
Under siege at Bastogne, a 19-year-old paratrooper carried beer to wounded friends in his helmet. Decades later, it became a Belgian legend.