This is the story that started it all.

In this special presentation of Our WWII Dad, brothers Chris and Ken Cangilla bring together the most powerful moments from the first chapters of their father’s World War II journey — from his early days in the Army and the Battle of the Bulge to the discoveries that helped uncover his story decades later.

Using original audio from the series, rare photographs, wartime artifacts, battlefield visits, and newly created visuals, The Story So Far weaves together the emotional heart of the journey into one continuous cinematic experience.

At the center of it all is a simple duffle bag their father carried home from the war — filled with items that would one day become the key to understanding where he served and what he experienced during World War II.

For new listeners, this is one of the best places to begin.

Follow Our WWII Dad for cinematic WWII storytelling, battlefield journeys, family history, and untold stories from the Greatest Generation.movies shot right before his death, how the discovery of an item from his war belongings unlocked the story of his travels in 1945, and a discussion on how creating the series strengthened the brothers’ bond with each other and their late father.

Everything they needed to understand their father’s World War II story had been sitting in a duffel bag for decades.

In this emotional chapter of Our WWII Dad, brothers Chris and Ken Cangilla conclude their father’s wartime journey by uncovering how the items he carried home from Europe — including photographs, military keepsakes, and a simple 1945 prayer card — ultimately became the key to discovering his story nearly 80 years later.

As they reflect on the discoveries made throughout the series, the episode explores their father’s return home after WWII, the life he built afterward, and the quiet strength he carried into family life after surviving combat.

From postwar Pittsburgh and raising eight children to retirement, declining health, and burial at Fort Logan National Cemetery, this episode honors both the soldier their father became during the war and the family man he became afterward.

This chapter also reflects on the extraordinary legacy of five brothers from one family serving during World War II — and all making it home alive.

Follow Our WWII Dad for cinematic WWII storytelling, battlefield journeys, family history, and untold stories from the Greatest Generation.

CHAPTERS

0:01 — Introduction
0:48 — The Duffle Bag That Changed Everything
8:10 — Dad’s Eisenhower Jacket, Patches, and Medals
13:20 — Dad’s Postwar Life Begins
17:22 — Our WWII Mom Reflects on Their Life Together
35:07 — Life in the 1950s
37:52 — Marriage and Starting a Family in Pittsburgh
38:43 — Moving to St. Louis
40:23 — The Move to Colorado
40:45 — Our Childhood Home
46:58 — Family Films
1:02:16 — Meet the Siblings
1:03:50 — Retirement Years
1:05:03 — Health Problems Begin
1:06:06 — Dad Bounces Back
1:06:50 — Health Declines Again
1:08:16 — Dad’s Death — November 12, 1997
1:10:14 — The Funeral
1:14:20 — Burial at Fort Logan National Cemetery
1:16:33 — Our Families and Our Dad
1:20:38 — What’s Next for Our WWII Dad — Season 2
1:21:47 — Contacting Our WWII Dad
1:23:43 — Our Thanks

It looked like a simple prayer card — until it unlocked their father’s journey through World War II.

In this chapter of Our WWII Dad, brothers Chris and Ken Cangilla uncover how a small 1945 prayer card marked by their father became the key to tracing his exact movements across Europe during the final months of the war.

By matching handwritten dates and markings to the troop records of the 99th Infantry Battalion, they were able to reconstruct parts of his wartime story that had remained hidden for decades.

The episode also reveals the extraordinary story of five brothers from the same family serving during WWII in both Europe and the Pacific — and all surviving the war.

From the Battle of the Bulge and VE Day to Norway operations, wartime reunions, and the long journey home, this episode combines family discovery, battlefield history, and cinematic storytelling to uncover one soldier’s path through World War II.

Follow Our WWII Dad for cinematic WWII storytelling, battlefield journeys, family history, and untold stories from the Greatest Generation.

CHAPTERS

0:01 — Introduction
0:36 — Battle of the Bulge Recap
1:19 — Route de Waimes, Malmedy
2:50 — Brothers Reunited During WWII
7:56 — Uncle Marcy and “Fat Man”
12:17 — The Prayer Card Discovery
15:17 — Trucked to Barneville, France
16:01 — The 99th Joins the 474th
17:42 — German Raid on Granville
18:45 — How the War Changed Dad
21:41 — “40 and 8” Railcars to Aachen
24:38 — Dad’s Model Trains
28:17 — Arrival in Aachen
28:45 — Crossing the Rhine
29:35 — Capturing the Flag
30:20 — VE Day
30:52 — Regensburg, Germany
31:22 — Dad’s Mission in Regensburg
36:29 — Shipped to Oslo, Norway
38:56 — Norway Operations
40:53 — The King of Norway Returns
42:24 — Rest and Relaxation
43:18 — The Final Numbers of the 99th
44:25 — Going Home
46:35 — Arrival Back in America
47:17 — Dad Comes Home

What if you could stand in the exact place your father stood during the Battle of the Bulge?

In this chapter of Our WWII Dad, brothers Chris and Ken Cangilla retrace their father’s footsteps across Belgium during one of World War II’s most brutal battles — leading to a powerful discovery in Malmedy where a historic wartime photograph revealed the exact location he once stood.

Through personal storytelling, battlefield history, wartime archives, and striking then-and-now visuals, the episode connects past and present in an emotional search for the places that shaped their father’s wartime experience.

From Christmas 1944 and the bombing of Malmedy to Operation Greif and the horrors surrounding the Malmedy Massacre, this episode explores the fear, survival, and lasting memories connected to the Battle of the Bulge.

Follow Our WWII Dad for cinematic WWII storytelling, battlefield journeys, family history, and untold stories from the Greatest Generation.

CHAPTERS

0:01 — Introduction
1:57 — Dad’s Night at St. Marien
4:19 — Henri-Chapelle
4:40 — Tilff, Belgium
7:39 — 32 Quai de l’Ourthe
10:49 — Was Tilff Really Rest?
13:42 — Moving Toward Malmedy
14:05 — The Battle of the Bulge Begins
16:00 — Malmedy Town Square
18:53 — Near the Railroad Tracks
19:31 — Operation Greif
23:48 — Fatherly Guidance
25:42 — Christmas in Malmedy
29:09 — Dad’s Nativity Scenes
30:08 — Visiting Dad at Christmas
30:28 — No Christmas Ceasefire
31:03 — The Bombing of Malmedy
33:35 — The Messerschmitt Attack
37:20 — Commando Raid at Hédomont
38:24 — The Malmedy Massacre

He was young, undersized, and completely new to the unit.

In this chapter of Our WWII Dad, brothers Chris and Ken Cangilla follow their father’s journey as a World War II replacement soldier sent into the elite 99th Infantry Battalion — a Norwegian American unit he had never trained with and struggled to fit into.

As the war in Europe intensified, their father entered a battlefield already in motion, surrounded by soldiers who looked different, spoke differently, and already shared a bond forged through combat.

Through family storytelling, battlefield history, wartime archives, and present-day footage from Germany and France, this episode explores the fear, isolation, and courage required to survive as “the new man” in WWII.

From Aachen and Würselen to the remnants of the Siegfried Line still standing today, this is a powerful story about identity, belonging, and survival during war.

Follow Our WWII Dad for cinematic WWII storytelling, family history, battlefield journeys, and untold stories from the Greatest Generation.

CHAPTERS

0:01 — Introduction
3:19 — Becoming a Replacement Soldier
3:54 — The Elite 99th Infantry Battalion
7:05 — Captain Hanson
7:26 — Camp Hale, Colorado
12:24 — Arriving in France
12:59 — Battle at Elbeuf
14:37 — Joining the Norwegian Soldiers
15:53 — Combat at Willemsvaart Canal
19:32 — Battle for Würselen and Aachen
22:03 — Volker’s Battlefield Tour
26:10 — The Soldier in the Doorway
28:53 — Dad’s Dangerous Role as Messenger
31:07 — St. Sebastian Church
31:51 — Bloody Ravelsberger
33:26 — WWII Bunkers Still Standing Today
34:28 — The Siegfried Line
35:53 — Crucifix Hill

She was 12 years old when World War II began. He was 18 when he left home to serve.

In this opening chapter of Our WWII Dad, brothers Chris and Ken Cangilla explore how the war changed both of their parents’ lives forever — one from the American homefront, the other from the road to Europe and combat.

Featuring a powerful conversation with their mother at age 91, this episode captures the emotions, fears, sacrifices, and memories of a generation that lived through WWII in very different ways.

From rationing and neighborhood soldiers to boot camp, ocean crossings, and the path toward the Battle of the Bulge, this is the beginning of one family’s WWII story.

Follow Our WWII Dad for cinematic WWII storytelling, family history, battlefield journeys, and untold stories from the Greatest Generation.

CHAPTERS

0:01 — Introduction
2:49 — The Beginning of WWII
5:00 — Dad’s High School Years
6:24 — Mom Reflects at 91
7:05 — Childhood Before the War
9:51 — How Families Received War News
10:56 — Supporting the War Effort
14:23 — Sending Care Packages
15:36 — The Most Frightening Moments
19:20 — Neighborhood Soldiers Leaving for War
20:42 — How Mom Met Dad
22:03 — Victory Day Memories
25:48 — The Decision to Enlist
28:10 — Reporting to Fort Meade
29:05 — Camp Croft
31:16 — Another Soldier’s Story
32:43 — Basic Training
34:31 — Preparing for Europe
37:05 — Crossing the Atlantic
39:21 — Arrival in Wartime Europe
40:26 — Sharpshooter

New to Our WWII Dad? Start here.

Before uncovering their father’s World War II story, brothers Chris and Ken Cangilla set out to answer a question they had carried for years: what did their dad truly experience during the war — and why did those experiences still echo through their family decades later?

What began as a six-week journey across Europe became something far bigger: a search for truth, memory, sacrifice, and the stories that shaped an entire generation.

Through battlefield visits, family discoveries, wartime artifacts, and emotional reflection, Our WWII Dad connects the past to the present in a deeply personal way.

This short introduction explains why the journey began — and why preserving these WWII stories matters now more than ever.

Follow Our WWII Dad for cinematic WWII storytelling, battlefield journeys, family history, and untold stories from the Greatest Generation.