This Week on History Happy Hour: The story of a National Guard unit at the forefront in the Pacific during World War II. The 32nd Division came out of the Midwest and played a crucial role in the Pacific, eventually logging more combat hours than any other U.S. Army division during the war.

Chris and Rick explore the history of this unit from mobilization in 1940 until the occupation of Japan, with Professor Mark D. Van Ells, author of Red Arrow Across the Pacific.

Mark D. Van Ells is a professor of history at Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is a native of the Badger State. Mark writes scholarly works as well as books and articles for general audiences on history and travel. His books include To Hear Only Thunder Again: America’s World War II Veterans Come Home, and America and World War I: A Traveler’s Guide. He also served as Archivist/Historian at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison.