I'm back! After a short hiatus, today's episode is personal for me: my grandfather's World War II service in the Pacific with his unit, the 499th Bomb Squadron and the 345th Bomb Group. Early on, I only knew bits and pieces of his military service, but a re-examination of his life and experiences brought about this podcast on his accomplishments and time in the South Pacific. A kid from rural Oklahoma goes across the United States, the length of the Pacific Ocean, to New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Japanese islands and experiences warfare from the skies. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://historyhereandnowhhn.com/2021/02/19/oklahoma-bat-the-military-history-of-fred-laverne-richardson/