My grandfather served as a Dutch soldier against the germans. He was a simple country boy who went to war underequipped, undertrained and faced elite german troops. Though it's a different theater, the stories of the pacific soldiers sometimes related to his experience and give me a better understanding of what he went trough. So a big thank you from Holland for this podcast and some of us over here remember and are gratefull for the sacrifice of the young men who gave up a lot for freedom, where ever they served!
My uncle is at the graveyard near Maastricht. Killed just inside Germany in the last days of the war. I did my graduate studies at the University of Amsterdam, about 20 years ago, and was always impressed by lengths the Dutch went to honor the allied soliders.
These kind of forums are just priceless. It's incredibly important that we keep the memories of these people and what they accomplished and what they did alive. When my mother was sick and dying from cancer, I asked her to journal her life story so I could read it after she passed. Mind you she was a great great writer. What she wrote in this journal was; "to stay alive in the hearts and minds of those that you leave behind is to never die." At the time I was upset because I wanted her life story but as was always the case, my mom could sum it up in a sentence or two. Both my parents were World War II veterans. My father US Navy, South Pacific, and my mom was a WAC and was part of a unit that ferried B-17s from the plant here in Everett Washington down to Southern California for deployment to the pacific. To her last breath she loved her B- 17's and boy did she love to fire those 50 Cals out over the ocean! Rest in peace mom and dad! You did your job and you did it well! Your loving son!🇺🇲⚓️💯👍💖☕️🚬
Nicely done, another top-notch presentation. It is a credit to Seth and Bill that their tireless efforts keep these memories alive all these years later. Admittedly, I wait for Tuesday each week for a new episode of this fine program. Thank you gentlemen.
When my wife and I moved here to our little village in west central Ohio, in 1985, there were yet three WWI vets here -- one of them in the church where I'm the minister. Plenty of WWII vets. Now, there is one WWII vet, a Navy Pacific War vet, and his health is failing at age 97. Those vets are all nearly gone. Thanks for this presentation, gents!
Just want to thank you for this TH-cam channel I look forward to it each week, I am an Australian whose father fought in New Guinea in 1943 in the battle for Wau and Salamaua. I have recently retired and managed to find a book the history of AIF 2/3 Commandos that he fought with, and as is often said dad never talked much about his 8 months fighting in New Guinea and this booked sparked an interest in the Pacific war. Your channel gives a honest review on the challenges and hardships that he and all the soldiers endured to overcome an enemy and give us the freedoms we enjoy today. Thankyou.
My parents were stateside during the war, but with both now gone, my brothers and I talk about those days a lot. This "unauthorized" channel is now my favorite and most visited site on TH-cam. Seth, Bill, and Jon are WONDERFUL at what they do. Bless them. Your father did his part, obviously, as did my parents in their own way. Indirectly, we are still allies in the continual struggle against evil, hate, and unacceptable behavior. Our parents had their lives interrupted by real existential threats. Millions needlessly died as a result, but, yes, God bless those who stood up and said "no". We're here living in luxury and peace (for how much longer, we wonder, given the crazy times?) because they did, but nothing is guaranteed. If we forget or fail to learn the lessons life brings, shame on us.
Great presentation again.Guys love Ching Lee, great Admiral, turned a battleship into his personal sniper rifle. You should get ahold of a guy called the fat electrician. He's a great military storyteller and historian.
FIRST TIME to have done such an important event!! Why am I NOT SURPRISED THAT CAPT BILL TOTI and Partner Seth Paridon would be in the middle of such a celebration. The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War is getting close to the seats of official authorization, not that we have any doubts about the authenticity of these two men and what we are being given. And let's do as best we can to "earn this".
Thank you for expressing some positive things regarding Yamashita. He spoke four languages, none English, so my close friend’s Dad was his MP guard before his execution and through conversation in German got to know him. He refused to receive the memoirs the previous night saying that Yamashita’s family deserved them. (two class warriors)
Every week you two(and your great guests)put on a fantastic podcast. This is tied with my favorite as Number One. The rest are tied as Number Two. Thank you so very much for time and effort for this fantastic series. God Bless you both Bill and Seth.
I grew up with Vietnam being on the news everyday. Had a number of friends who fought in the pacific and some in ETO. Blessed to have heard stories, though they never spoke of the horror of battle. Your podcast and special programs like this are tremendously informative and inspiring. Thank you for all you do.
Your right Bill , this channel has grown so much its exciting . You 2 guys do an amazing job going over the pacific theater, its much appreciated. My grandad served in the pacific theater. With that said , he never spoke of the war his whole life until he was 90 yrs old. I am proud of him .
Bill, Seth and all the moderators you have had with your channel, you do well in honoring the memories of these heroes. My uncle Pat Darcy, USMC being one of them. Again thanks for doing all you bring every week.
Another great episode, as usual. I'm never disappointed. I'm always impressed with your abilities for telling these stories from history. Mr. Bill, you've got to stop saying you're not a historian. Not only are you interested in history, you've lived some of it personally. Perhaps there will come a day when you can tell some of your stories while in the silent service. Seth, your love of history becomes contagious with each story you tell. Keep up the great work gentlemen!
Very very very good Torpedo Tuesday. Bill Harris's escape from Corregidor is detailed in a book by an army navigator that escaped with him. His name is Edgar D. Whitcomb and he actually made it back to the States. He visited Bill's mother and told her he was still alive. Ed would go on to become the Governor of Indiana. The book is "Escape from Corregidor".
Captain Toti, I have always been fascinated by submarines, but joined the army. While deployed for REFORGER 87 I had the opportunity to tour a German type VII U-Boat. As fascinating as that was, I realized that at 6'4" and 210 lbs I was the definition of a 'poor fit' for sub service... Always enjoy your perspective Sir.
Wow! Most Impressive Episode, especially Capt Toti's last segment. Not taking away from the other presenters (Seth...) but Bill had my lip quivering there towards the end... Beautifully done guys.
I have watched--rather have had the privilege to watch--almost all of the UHPWP podcasts--despite having read dozens of books on WWII in the Pacific, starting with "Guadalcanal Diary" when in grade school, they have been quite educational. This particular podcast is among the most inspiring. Anyone watching these podcasts has to be in awe of the service provided by ordinary Americans--or maybe better extraordinary Americans--in WWII.
A wonderful presentation organized by you, Captain Todi and your Alumni Associates. I wish so many more Americans, especially young Americans, could spend the time seeing this special salute to those brave lads and lassies who fought for our free republic back in World War Two, many giving their ultimate possession, their special gift of life they had received from our lord God.
Both of my Grandpas served in WWII. One trudged throughout Europe, Battle of the Bulge, etc. The other served the entirety of '44 and '45 in the Pacific as an RD3 radarman on the USS Wichita (CA-45). I never heard a word about the war from either one of them. RIP. Edit: Just wanted to add a thanks for this video. Great as usual!
Excellent seminar. Prompted a question: Is Mark Clark the Douglas MacArthur of the Europpean Theatre? Or is Douglas MacArthur the Mark Clark of the Pacific Theatre?
No one in America outside us geeks knows who the hell Mark Clark is, much less stack him up against MacArthur. That said, I'd love to have seen MacArthur and Monty take the piss out of each other.
Awesome discussion. My dad served on DD-948 the Morton in the early 60’s. My step father was a chief radarman on a battleship off Italy in WW2. I was in the navy in the late ‘80’s and through the 90’s. I have a niece now serving
No officer pilots ever talk about the enlisted pilots…..of course. Captain T. Starts out with salutes to the senior officers of the time, Leary, King, et al.They all lived off the work of the visionaries who made the Essex class carriers, the Brooklyns, and the Fletchers happen and not the big bad BBs which didn’t do much. These folks gave the tools to the fleet that made victory happen and did it without the glory of those who lived off the cream/icing of their foresight and planning. Great stuff . Thanks.
Gentleman this was absolutely fantastic. Thank you again for the quality content. I sure hope you enjoy doing this. Pacific war is almost over. What's next? Battle of the Atlantic?
Little different program but well worth the watch! I wonder if the Marine who escaped in the Philippines did so with Marine officer Austin Shofner. Sad ending for most here. Great job Seth and Bill--you guys always deliver great content!
Just food for thought I have a hard time keeping the time line of the Pacific war in order in my head. Could you do an episode that covers pearl harbor to VJ in order and explain the capabilities of our forces, how precarious our position was-how powerful we became? Episode on the PBY/Black Cats/long range patrol/search and rescue. Episode on the evolution of AirPower Wildcat Devistaor-hellcats and TBF… Corsair is the sexiest bird of the pacific by the way.
Funny little mistake by Bill Toti when he mentions Torpedo Bombing 3 flying off the Saratoga at the Battle of Midway when Saratoga did not take part in the Battle of Midway, although VT3 was originally Saratoga's squadron, I believe it was attached to the Yorktown in this battle.
But, some of Saratoga's air groups and other crew had been transferred to Yorktown to bring her to full strength. So there were Saratoga airmen and sailors at Midway.
My grandfather served as a Dutch soldier against the germans. He was a simple country boy who went to war underequipped, undertrained and faced elite german troops. Though it's a different theater, the stories of the pacific soldiers sometimes related to his experience and give me a better understanding of what he went trough. So a big thank you from Holland for this podcast and some of us over here remember and are gratefull for the sacrifice of the young men who gave up a lot for freedom, where ever they served!
😸🙏👍
My uncle is at the graveyard near Maastricht. Killed just inside Germany in the last days of the war. I did my graduate studies at the University of Amsterdam, about 20 years ago, and was always impressed by lengths the Dutch went to honor the allied soliders.
These kind of forums are just priceless. It's incredibly important that we keep the memories of these people and what they accomplished and what they did alive. When my mother was sick and dying from cancer, I asked her to journal her life story so I could read it after she passed. Mind you she was a great great writer. What she wrote in this journal was; "to stay alive in the hearts and minds of those that you leave behind is to never die." At the time I was upset because I wanted her life story but as was always the case, my mom could sum it up in a sentence or two. Both my parents were World War II veterans. My father US Navy, South Pacific, and my mom was a WAC and was part of a unit that ferried B-17s from the plant here in Everett Washington down to Southern California for deployment to the pacific. To her last breath she loved her B- 17's and boy did she love to fire those 50 Cals out over the ocean! Rest in peace mom and dad! You did your job and you did it well! Your loving son!🇺🇲⚓️💯👍💖☕️🚬
Well said, a fine tribute.
Bill, that introductory was awesome.
Thanks
Nicely done, another top-notch presentation. It is a credit to Seth and Bill that their tireless efforts keep these memories alive all these years later. Admittedly, I wait for Tuesday each week for a new episode of this fine program. Thank you gentlemen.
When my wife and I moved here to our little village in west central Ohio, in 1985, there were yet three WWI vets here -- one of them in the church where I'm the minister. Plenty of WWII vets. Now, there is one WWII vet, a Navy Pacific War vet, and his health is failing at age 97. Those vets are all nearly gone. Thanks for this presentation, gents!
Just want to thank you for this TH-cam channel I look forward to it each week, I am an Australian whose father fought in New Guinea in 1943 in the battle for Wau and Salamaua. I have recently retired and managed to find a book the history of AIF 2/3 Commandos that he fought with, and as is often said dad never talked much about his 8 months fighting in New Guinea and this booked sparked an interest in the Pacific war. Your channel gives a honest review on the challenges and hardships that he and all the soldiers endured to overcome an enemy and give us the freedoms we enjoy today. Thankyou.
My parents were stateside during the war, but with both now gone, my brothers and I talk about those days a lot. This "unauthorized" channel is now my favorite and most visited site on TH-cam. Seth, Bill, and Jon are WONDERFUL at what they do. Bless them.
Your father did his part, obviously, as did my parents in their own way. Indirectly, we are still allies in the continual struggle against evil, hate, and unacceptable behavior. Our parents had their lives interrupted by real existential threats. Millions needlessly died as a result, but, yes, God bless those who stood up and said "no".
We're here living in luxury and peace (for how much longer, we wonder, given the crazy times?) because they did, but nothing is guaranteed. If we forget or fail to learn the lessons life brings, shame on us.
Great presentation again.Guys love Ching Lee, great Admiral, turned a battleship into his personal sniper rifle.
You should get ahold of a guy called the fat electrician. He's a great military storyteller and historian.
FIRST TIME to have done such an important event!! Why am I NOT SURPRISED THAT CAPT BILL TOTI and Partner Seth Paridon would be in the middle of such a celebration. The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War is getting close to the seats of official authorization, not that we have any doubts about the authenticity of these two men and what we are being given. And let's do as best we can to "earn this".
Thank you very much for the incredible stories of such brave men who gallantly fought for our country. Truly inspiring.
Thank you for expressing some positive things regarding Yamashita. He spoke four languages, none English, so my close friend’s Dad was his MP guard before his execution and through conversation in German got to know him. He refused to receive the memoirs the previous night saying that Yamashita’s family deserved them. (two class warriors)
Time well spent!
Every week you two(and your great guests)put on a fantastic podcast. This is tied with my favorite as Number One. The rest are tied as Number Two. Thank you so very much for time and effort for this fantastic series. God Bless you both Bill and Seth.
We are all proud OF YOU Bill. Great job and thank you for your service.
Thank you
Great Historical conference guys.
I grew up with Vietnam being on the news everyday. Had a number of friends who fought in the pacific and some in ETO. Blessed to have heard stories, though they never spoke of the horror of battle. Your podcast and special programs like this are tremendously informative and inspiring. Thank you for all you do.
A fascinating episode. Thank you and the other presenters for sharing the stories of those incredible men. Thank you again.
Your right Bill , this channel has grown so much its exciting . You 2 guys do an amazing job going over the pacific theater, its much appreciated. My grandad served in the pacific theater. With that said , he never spoke of the war his whole life until he was 90 yrs old. I am proud of him .
That was pretty cool. Thank-you gentlemen for sharing that presentation. Both informative, and inspiring. Well done.
Bill, Seth and all the moderators you have had with your channel, you do well in honoring the memories of these heroes. My uncle Pat Darcy, USMC being one of them. Again thanks for doing all you bring every week.
Great job guys well done!
BZ from an old nam Vet and NFO from the OCAN ranks of NAS Pensacola 1964.
Another great episode, as usual. I'm never disappointed. I'm always impressed with your abilities for telling these stories from history. Mr. Bill, you've got to stop saying you're not a historian. Not only are you interested in history, you've lived some of it personally. Perhaps there will come a day when you can tell some of your stories while in the silent service. Seth, your love of history becomes contagious with each story you tell. Keep up the great work gentlemen!
This is another great episode. A very fine forum with a great spirit. Thank you to all concerned
Great episode. Thoroughly enjoyed that.
Nice format, a lot to think about. I like the different speakers picked an element of the navy's fighting force.
Now that I have said that,I wonder of you have any interest in the damage control party's... not the officers but the d.c man and the hull tech
Bill , pick up the torch from O Kane and get D.W Morton the Metal of Honor.
Very very very good Torpedo Tuesday. Bill Harris's escape from Corregidor is detailed in a book by an army navigator that escaped with him. His name is Edgar D. Whitcomb and he actually made it back to the States. He visited Bill's mother and told her he was still alive. Ed would go on to become the Governor of Indiana. The book is "Escape from Corregidor".
You guys nailed again. Thanks many times over.
DATELINE KYIV OBLAST
Well done. Another engaging and informative episode. Thank you, gentlemen!
V/r - IB
An American in Ukraine
(2019 - Present)
Bless you, sir.
Slava Ukrani!
Proud of each and everyone of y'all
That was a great session. Thanks to you guys for keeping the memories alive. Greetings from Texas.
Captain Toti, I have always been fascinated by submarines, but joined the army. While deployed for REFORGER 87 I had the opportunity to tour a German type VII U-Boat. As fascinating as that was, I realized that at 6'4" and 210 lbs I was the definition of a 'poor fit' for sub service... Always enjoy your perspective Sir.
Amazing presentation. Well Done to all hands!
Wow! Most Impressive Episode, especially Capt Toti's last segment. Not taking away from the other presenters (Seth...) but Bill had my lip quivering there towards the end... Beautifully done guys.
US NAVY #1 USN 1986-89(USS Belleau Wood LHA-3), US Naval Reserve 1990-2007
I have watched--rather have had the privilege to watch--almost all of the UHPWP podcasts--despite having read dozens of books on WWII in the Pacific, starting with "Guadalcanal Diary" when in grade school, they have been quite educational. This particular podcast is among the most inspiring. Anyone watching these podcasts has to be in awe of the service provided by ordinary Americans--or maybe better extraordinary Americans--in WWII.
A wonderful presentation organized by you, Captain Todi and your Alumni Associates. I wish so many more Americans, especially young Americans, could spend the time seeing this special salute to those brave lads and lassies who fought for our free republic back in World War Two, many giving their ultimate possession, their special gift of life they had received from our lord God.
Both of my Grandpas served in WWII. One trudged throughout Europe, Battle of the Bulge, etc. The other served the entirety of '44 and '45 in the Pacific as an RD3 radarman on the USS Wichita (CA-45). I never heard a word about the war from either one of them. RIP.
Edit: Just wanted to add a thanks for this video. Great as usual!
Excellent seminar. Prompted a question: Is Mark Clark the Douglas MacArthur of the Europpean Theatre? Or is Douglas MacArthur the Mark Clark of the Pacific Theatre?
No one in America outside us geeks knows who the hell Mark Clark is, much less stack him up against MacArthur. That said, I'd love to have seen MacArthur and Monty take the piss out of each other.
Well done!
Thank you gentlemen for including us in this.
Awesome discussion. My dad served on DD-948 the Morton in the early 60’s. My step father was a chief radarman on a battleship off Italy in WW2. I was in the navy in the late ‘80’s and through the 90’s. I have a niece now serving
Excellent presentation. 👏
No officer pilots ever talk about the enlisted pilots…..of course. Captain T. Starts out with salutes to the senior officers of the time, Leary, King, et al.They all lived off the work of the visionaries who made the Essex class carriers, the Brooklyns, and the Fletchers happen and not the big bad BBs which didn’t do much. These folks gave the tools to the fleet that made victory happen and did it without the glory of those who lived off the cream/icing of their foresight and planning. Great stuff . Thanks.
Thanks!
Gentleman this was absolutely fantastic. Thank you again for the quality content. I sure hope you enjoy doing this. Pacific war is almost over. What's next? Battle of the Atlantic?
Great show gentlemen.
Little different program but well worth the watch! I wonder if the Marine who escaped in the Philippines did so with Marine officer Austin Shofner. Sad ending for most here. Great job Seth and Bill--you guys always deliver great content!
Very good
Just food for thought
I have a hard time keeping the time line of the Pacific war in order in my head. Could you do an episode that covers pearl harbor to VJ in order and explain the capabilities of our forces, how precarious our position was-how powerful we became?
Episode on the PBY/Black Cats/long range patrol/search and rescue.
Episode on the evolution of AirPower
Wildcat Devistaor-hellcats and TBF… Corsair is the sexiest bird of the pacific by the way.
Funny little mistake by Bill Toti when he mentions Torpedo Bombing 3 flying off the Saratoga at the Battle of Midway when Saratoga did not take part in the Battle of Midway, although VT3 was originally Saratoga's squadron, I believe it was attached to the Yorktown in this battle.
The atrocities were so bad, that the exact casualty figures for the WWII Pacific Theatre will never truly be known ....
Parade Arms.
Never Forget 🎗️💝
O'Kane did all of his sinkings during only 4 war patrols. The other patrol he rescued almost 2 dozen aviators.
Outstanding!! Bravo Zulu Boys.
USS Harder located dive planes down on eternal Patrol .
Great show, however, Sorry Bill, Mush Morton's Friend could not have been on Saratoga at Midway, Sarah was not there!
But, some of Saratoga's air groups and other crew had been transferred to Yorktown to bring her to full strength. So there were Saratoga airmen and sailors at Midway.