When most people think of the USN admirals in the Pacific during WWII, Nimitz, Halsey, Kinkaid, and Spruance come easily to mind. Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee is less well known. A career naval officer and a seven-time Olympic medalist, during World War II he played a key role in the Pacific as one of the USN’s top combat admirals. To shed some light on Lee’s career and legacy, the MacArthur Memorial podcast hosted Paul Stillwell, author of Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr, for a discussion of Lee's life and legacy.

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The MacArthur Memorial is located in Norfolk, VA – the hometown of General Douglas MacArthur’s mother – Mary Hardy. MacArthur himself was born in Little Rock, AR and as the child of a career Army officer, he spent most of his youth moving from post to post. So what place was most like a hometown for him? Was it Norfolk (as he sometimes claimed)? Was it Little Rock? Was it a military fort in the American West where his family had good memories? Was it Manila where his son was born? 

If you are thinking Milwaukee, WI – you are correct. That is the place with the longest, most significant, multigenerational MacArthur family connection. Arthur MacArthur Sr., Arthur MacArthur Jr., and Douglas MacArthur all lived in the city at various times in their lives and were all honored as citizens of the city. 

Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of the MacArthur family and their fascinating connection to Milwaukee. 

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On the MacArthur Memorial's WWI History Podcast, Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discussed the relationship between Douglas MacArthur and George Marshall during WWI. While both men were certainly aware of each other during that war, contrary to what some MacArthur biographers suggest, there were no seeds of antagonism between them during that war. By WWII and the Korean War, both were still serving in positions of great importance and their relationship was very consequential and increasingly complicated. By all accounts, both men worked well together - even if they didn't always understand each other. That being said, by the end of his life MacArthur was firmly convinced that Marshall ultimately betrayed him. Why? To unravel this question, Jim and Amanda sat down for a second discussion to dissect the relationship of these men during World War II and the Korean War.

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In January 1944, a small group of sixteen enlisted men gathered at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois to begin an accelerated course that would turn them into the US Navy's first African American officers on active duty. They all knew that if they failed, their failure would continue to justify US Navy policy that prohibited African American officers. Against all odds, all the men passed the course. Twelve were commissioned as ensigns and a thirteenth was made a warrant officer. Today we know these men as the “Golden Thirteen.” To discuss the Golden Thirteen and US USN policy towards African Americans during WWII, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast sat down with Paul Stillwell, author of The Golden Thirteen: Recollections of the First Black Naval Officers and more recently: Battleship Commander: the Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee. 

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Similar to World War I, World War II had a profound effect on the European wine industry.  From labor shortages to Nazi looting, it was a very difficult time for the industry - but it was also a period that produced some standout war year vintages. To discuss  wine and World War II, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast recently hosted Walter Wolf III—a lawyer, military historian, and wine expert. The conversation focused on French and Italian wine, the ties between resistance movements and the wine industry, Nazi wine looting, and an evaluation of the Nazi palate. 

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Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880 in Little Rock, Arkansas. While little is known of his birthdays prior to World War II, as a senior leader during World War II and the occupation of Japan, his birthday took on more diplomatic significance. Following his return to the United States, an annual birthday dinner/SWPA reunion was held in the dining room of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where he lived. This stag dinner ranged from 25-140 participants depending on the year, and included General Walter Krueger, Major General Leif Sverdrup, Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, General George Kenney, and many more. In addition to the distinguished guests, presidents and other world leaders would send birthday messages to be read at the dinner. As part of the MacArthur Memorial's 2022 commemoration of General MacArthur's birthday, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down to discuss these birthday parties.

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During WWII, Allied POWs in the Pacific Theatre – whether combatant or civilian – faced physical and psychological hardships. Captivity is difficult. It is particularly difficult when access to food is irregular or insufficient because food is often associated with a sense of security, comfort, health, and memory.  For many of the civilian POWs held at Santo Tomas internment camp in Manila, recipe sharing was one way to cope with the POW experience. Thinking about food helped some stay tethered to pre-captivity life, while remaining hopeful about a future life out of captivity. To discuss recipe collection and "food fantasies" at Santo Tomas, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Jennifer Cottle, a graduate student and the recipient of a grant to study the Santo Tomas recipe books preserved in the MacArthur Memorial Archives. 

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During World War II, about 16 million people from all walks of life served in the U.S. military. This number included many of the top celebrities of the day – so much so that historians often refer to the period as a time when “Hollywood went to war.” Stars like Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart famously joined the military – as did many others in the entertainment industry. Some fought on the front lines, while others were placed in positions to use their industry talents to help the U.S. military with training, propaganda, morale, and public relations. The great big band leader Glenn Miller was part of this later group. To discuss Miller’s military service and the latest research on his disappearance, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Dennis M. Spragg, author of Glenn Miller Declassified and Senior Consultant for the Glenn Miller Archives at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

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On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked American military installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and propelled the United States into the Second World War. To mark the 80th anniversary of the attack, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum partnered to host a special commemorative lecture by historian Walter Borneman about his book Brothers Down, the story of 38 sets of brothers who served on the USS Arizona.

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During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Bilibid Prison served as a POW and a civilian internment camp. Prior to liberation in February 1945, thousands of POWs were processed through Bilibid before boarding the infamous "hellships" that would take them to forced labor camps throughout the Pacific. The camp also held hundreds of Allied civilians in deteriorating conditions. 

Join Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams of the MacArthur Memorial for a discussion of Bilibid – it’s function during World War II, the conditions in which prisoners lived, and the eventual liberation of the prison in 1945.

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